Big Tech remains silent on questions about data privacy in a post-Roe US

We asked Meta, Twitter, Google, TikTok, and Reddit how they will moderate abortion content and handle subpoenas and warrants for data on people who seek or assist with abortions.

In the hours and days after the US Supreme Court announced its ruling overturning the constitutional right to abortion, tech companies rushed to show their support for employees living in states where the procedure is now outlawed. Meta, Facebook’s parent company, promised to pay expenses for staffers who need to travel out of their home state for an abortion. Alphabet, Google’s parent company, told employees they could apply to relocate from states banning abortion. 

These companies have not given that same kind of support to their users, amid growing concerns that a digital footprint—including websites visited, location data from a phone, or private messages on a social platform—could be used to build a criminal case against someone seeking an abortion.

On Friday, MIT Technology Review asked five major tech companies—Alphabet, Meta, Reddit, TikTok, and Twitter—how their policies banning content promoting illegal activity will apply to posts advocating for abortion access or aiding those who now need to travel out of state for the procedure. We also asked how they plan to respond to requests, subpoenas, or warrants for data that could be used to prosecute cases related to abortions in those states. 

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