| Friend—
We’ve all done a quick Google search to satisfy a pressing question, right?
Maybe it was about that actor in the movie you just saw. Or a recipe for an easy weeknight dinner.
But sometimes it’s a private health-care question. What if you search for “abortion pill” or “trans-affirming health care”? Could law enforcement or other government officials weaponize or criminalize those searches now or in the future?
The answer is yes, and that’s why Free Press Action has launched the #HandsOffMyData campaign. To make this campaign as successful as possible, I’m hoping we can count on a generous donation from you so we have the resources we need to ensure that tech companies and the government keep their #HandsOffMyData.
If you donate right now, your donation will be DOUBLED by a group of generous donors who understand how vital it is to protect our digital privacy rights. Will you donate $35 or more right now and have TWICE the impact on our campaign to protect your privacy? Just as our civil rights are being restricted in the physical world, our digital civil rights are being restricted, too. Our search histories reveal a uniquely intimate view of our thoughts, concerns and questions at any given time. And it’s data that law enforcement can access without a warrant.
This is particularly troubling in light of how many states are criminalizing health care. In a state where abortions are illegal, searching for pregnancy-related information could signal to law enforcement that a person is pregnant and should be monitored. If a pregnant person miscarries, their search history could be used against them to argue that the miscarriage was induced (whether or not it was). And in Texas — where the state defines gender-affirming health care as child abuse — searching for common medical questions related to caring for trans children could trigger authorities to investigate families.
Free Press Action is fighting back. When you make a donation to support the #HandsOffMyData campaign, it will go TWICE as far to support our efforts to: - ➔ Pass data-privacy protections in Congress
- ➔ Push social-media companies to protect our data
- ➔ Pass the Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act, which would stop law enforcement from buying our private data without a warrant
- ➔ Speak out for data-privacy solutions that work for everyone
The internet can be a critical lifeline for finding the health information we need. If a person is experiencing pregnancy symptoms or miscarrying, the first place most of them will turn is Google or another search engine. As pregnancy is increasingly criminalized, we cannot allow a simple search to be used against any of us. We must tell law enforcement to keep #HandsOffMyData.
Donate $35 or more right now to keep up the momentum for this critical campaign. Your donation will be matched dollar for dollar to have TWICE the impact.
In solidarity,
Candace and the rest of the Free Press Action team
freepress.net
P.S. Searching for medical information should never be criminalized. Donate now to double your impact and keep your search data private.  |
