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Category Archives: E-Records

How browser cookies make people more cautious online

Fast Company: “Website cookies are online surveillance tools, and the commercial and government entities that use them would prefer people not read those notifications too closely. People who do read the notifications carefully will find that they have the option to say no to some or all cookies. The problem is, without careful attention those notifications become… Continue Reading

Protecting people’s privacy on health topics

Axios: “Google announced it will soon start deleting the “Location History” entry if a user who is signed in to a Google app — including Gmail or YouTube — visits a “particularly personal” medical facility. That includes counseling centers, domestic violence shelters, abortion clinics, fertility centers, addiction treatment facilities, weight loss clinics and cosmetic surgery… Continue Reading

Overview of the American Data Privacy and Protection Act

CRS Legal Sidebar, Overview of the American Data Privacy and Protection Act H.R. 8152, June 30, 2022: “On June 21, 2022, the House Energy and Commerce Committee introduced the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA), H.R. 8152,which would create a comprehensive federal consumer privacy framework. Some commentators have noted the bill’s novel compromises on… Continue Reading

5 ways to protect your personal data in a post-Roe world

Fast Company: “The world changed for many people on Friday, June 24 when the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade. Although the opinion had been leaked two months prior, the ruling was a gut punch nonetheless for millions of women—and none moreso than the hundreds of thousands who were already considering an abortion. With the… Continue Reading

How to keep your data from brokers and marketers

Fast Company: “It’s no secret that private intel companies compile vast dossiers on us. But the extent is breathtaking. Here’s how it works—and what you can do about it. We’ve seen a stream of revelations about data brokers in recent months, and though the stories vary, the takeaway is consistent: Our privacy has never been… Continue Reading

How to scrub yourself from the internet, the best that you can

Washington Post: “Data brokers collect detailed information about who we are based on our things like our online activity, real world purchases and public records. Together, it’s enough to figure out your political leanings and health status, even if you’re pregnant. Friday’s news that the Supreme Court had overturned Roe v. Wade, and abortion could… Continue Reading

Congresswoman Sara Jacobs – we need to protect reproductive health data

Sara Jacobs: “On June 24, 2022 “the Supreme Court of the United States released their decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, finding there is no constitutional right to an abortion and effectively overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade decision from 1973. “This decision is outrageous and has dangerous and far-reaching implications for Americans’ right to privacy… Continue Reading

Security and Privacy Tips for People Seeking An Abortion

EFF: “Given the shifting state of the law, people seeking an abortion, or any kind of reproductive healthcare that might end with the termination of a pregnancy, may need to pay close attention to their digital privacy and security. We’ve previously covered how those involved in the abortion access movement can keep themselves and their communities… Continue Reading

Facebook Is Receiving Sensitive Medical Information from Hospital Websites

The Markup: “A tracking tool installed on many hospitals’ websites has been collecting patients’ sensitive health information—including details about their medical conditions, prescriptions, and doctor’s appointments—and sending it to Facebook. The Markup tested the websites of Newsweek’s top 100 hospitals in America. On 33 of them we found the tracker, called the Meta Pixel, sending… Continue Reading

Google Is Sharing Our Data at a Startling Scale

Bloomberg: “It transmits our locations and browsing habits 70 billion times a day to advertisers amid trillions a year by other firms, a new report shows…Each time you open an app on your phone or browse the web, an auction for your eyeballs is taking place behind the scenes thanks to a thriving market for… Continue Reading