Google Archives - Accountable Tech

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Tech Policy Press

Jan 30, 2025

Big Tech Chose a Side. Here’s What’s Next.

The recent actions of Big Tech CEOs have made their alliances clear: Despite installing some pro-democracy window dressing in recent years, tech companies have steadily and systematically captured our means of communication and surrendered them to the MAGA universe. In the US, the question now is whether Democrats and others who oppose MAGA politics will recognize the alliance between the far right and Big Tech – and take steps to rein in this dangerous turn toward extremism before we lose our democracy altogether.

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Google

The Hill

Feb 13, 2024

Wyden urges FTC to safeguard abortion clinic visitors’ location data

Shortly after the Dobbs decision, Google committed to deleting the location data of consumers visiting reproductive clinics. Subsequent investigations, however, have uncovered that Google continues to retain location data for people visiting abortion clinics. A study conducted by Accountable Tech and released last month found that Google retains location data history in these cases about 50 percent of the time.

Zach Praiss

Google

Bloomberg

Jan 18, 2024

Google Tracking of Abortion Clinic Visits Spurs Complaint to FTC

The complaint was also signed by the nonprofit tech watchdog project Accountable Tech, which found in November 2023 that in eight experiments across the country, Google retained abortion seekers’ location data about half of the time. The findings, first reported by The Guardian, followed a similar Accountable Tech analysis in 2022 finding that Google was still retaining the data weeks after the announced policy change. The complaint says that practice puts Google afoul of its 2011 FTC Consent order agreeing to not misrepresent how it maintains and protects the privacy of data including physical location.

Giliann Karon

Google Breaks Another Promise About Tracking Your Location History

Google pledged to stop tracking user visits to abortion clinics shortly after Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022, which killed off the United States’ largest federal abortion protection...Roughly 18 months later, Google has not followed through on its promise, according to a new study from Accountable Tech, and the company still tracks visits to abortion clinics.

Zach Praiss

Google

The Guardian

Jan 17, 2024

Google promised to delete location data on abortion clinic visits. It didn’t, study says

In its newest study, which the Guardian reviewed exclusively, Accountable Tech found that the company still wasn’t deleting location history in all cases as promised, though Google’s rate of retention improved slightly. The rate of retention of location information decreased from 60% of tested cases, a measurement taken five months after Google’s pledge, to 50% of tested cases in the most recent experiment. The director of product of Google Maps, Marlo McGriff, disputed the findings of the study.

Zach Praiss

Google

Jan 17, 2024

Google is Still Failing to Protect Privacy of Abortion Seekers

Data gathered by Accountable Tech in 7 states found that Google still collects and retains Location History data for visits to abortion clinics despite promising 18 months ago to “delete these entries”

Giliann Karon

Google

Washington Post

Dec 14, 2023

Google is rolling out new protections for our location data

“In July 2022, Google promised to delete sensitive location data to protect people seeking abortion care in a post-Roe America, but in the past year and a half, [it] has fallen short,” said Nicole Gill, executive director of the advocacy group Accountable Tech. “We are encouraged by their latest announcement to better protect the privacy of the millions of people who use their products every day.”

Giliann Karon

Statement on Google Maps’s New and Enhanced Privacy Features

In July 2022, Google promised to delete sensitive location data to protect people seeking abortion care in a post-Roe America, but in the past year and a half has fallen short. We are encouraged by their latest announcement to better protect the privacy of the millions of people who use their products everyday.

Zach Praiss

Google

The Verge

Jul 27, 2023

Sen. Elizabeth Warren wants to build a new agency to police Big Tech

“An independent regulatory commission tasked with challenging the monopolistic power of Big Tech companies will not only provide the additional oversight needed to keep the industry in check, but also complement the work of our existing regulatory bodies,” Nicole Gill, Accountable Tech executive director and co-founder, said in a statement to The Verge on Wednesday.

Victoria Vinall

Google

The Register

Jun 27, 2023

One year after Roe v Wade overturned and ‘uterus surveillance’ looks grim

As recently as May, however, two investigations, one by advocacy group Accountable Tech and the other by the Washington Post, found Google continued to track and store location history for trips to abortion clinics.

Victoria Vinall

Google

Reuters

Jun 22, 2023

FEATURE-My body, my data: US fight for abortion access turns digital

Right now, protecting personal data is a zipcode lottery given the "patchwork of state laws", said Kaili Lambe of Accountable Tech, an advocacy group pressuring tech companies to stop collecting data on pregnancy and abortion-interest online.

Victoria Vinall

Google

Tech Policy Press

Jun 13, 2023

Big Tech’s Toxic Business Model Could Land Abortion Seekers in Jail. Here’s How to Stop Them.

Virtually everything we do online is tracked by companies like Google, Facebook, Apple, and Amazon, from what we buy to the news we read. This type of surveillance isn’t just a byproduct of these companies’ products — collecting and monetizing user data is a fundamental part of their business models. Now, it could land abortion-seekers in jail.

Zach Praiss

Google

May 24, 2023

U.S. Senators Demand Google Answer for Abortion Lies Revealed by Accountable Tech Research

Today, Democratic senators sent a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, demanding more information on the company’s data practices after Accountable Tech’s exclusive research found that Google continues to track and retain sensitive location history data from abortion seekers.

Zach Praiss

Google

Washington Post

May 24, 2023

Google is failing to uphold post-Roe privacy pledge, Democrats say

A separate review by the left-leaning advocacy group Accountable Tech generated similar findings, with Google failing to delete location data in more than half of their visits. “No one should be tracked or targeted for their personal health decisions. But that’s exactly what Big Tech’s business model of surveillance advertising right now is designed to do,” Accountable Tech policy manager Aditi Ramesh told Geoffrey.

Victoria Vinall

Google

Washington Post

May 09, 2023

Aditi Ramesh on how Google is Endangering Abortion-Seekers

People who use Google Maps to search for abortion care for themselves or others are at risk of seeing their data turned over to prosecutors due to Big Tech's collection and retention of this sensitive data.

Zach Praiss

Watch Now

Google

May 09, 2023

Accountable Tech Leads Day of Action Calling on Google to Stop Collecting and Retaining Sensitive Health Location Data that Endangers Abortion Seekers

Today, Accountable Tech and a coalition of advocacy partners led a Day of Action calling on Google to stop collecting and retaining sensitive user data that can be used to prosecute people seeking abortion care in post-Roe America.

Zach Praiss

Google

Washington Post

May 09, 2023

Google promised to delete sensitive data. It logged my abortion clinic visit.

I’m not the only one who’s spotted Google’s failure. Aditi Ramesh, a policy manager with the advocacy group Accountable Tech, has been doing her own version of this test over the last several months and found similar results. In about 60 percent of her tests, Google failed to delete location data.

Victoria Vinall

Google

NBC News

Apr 11, 2023

Aditi Ramesh Shows how Google is Aiding Abortion Prosecutors

By traveling to an abortion clinic, we can show in real-time how Google is collecting and retaining sensitive location data despite their policies saying otherwise.

Zach Praiss

Watch Now

Google

Apr 11, 2023

BREAKING: Despite Promises, Google Continues to Track and Retain Location Data for Abortion Clinic Visits

Today, Accountable Tech released new field research – documented in real-time by an NBC News crew – revealing that Google continues to collect and retain location data from individuals visiting abortion clinics, which could be weaponized by prosecutors, despite the tech behemoth’s repeated claims to the contrary.

Zach Praiss

Google

Mar 17, 2023

Accountable Tech Statement on YouTube’s Decision to Reinstate Donald Trump

The very same day Trump released a video calling the 2020 election ‘stolen’ and demanding January 6th insurrectionists be released from prison, YouTube decided to let him back on their platform.

Zach Praiss

Google

Jan 24, 2023

Accountable Tech Applauds DOJ’s Antitrust Suit Against Google

We applaud this much-needed action from the Department of Justice, and will continue our work advocating for structural reform to hold Big Tech monopolies like Google accountable.

Zach Praiss

Google

Jul 21, 2022

Accountable Tech, 15 Partner Organizations Question Google’s Data Collection Practices For Those Seeking Abortion Care

The devastating Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade has turned Big Tech’s surveillance tools, and the troves of sensitive data they collect, into a weapon-in-waiting that will be deployed against people seeking reproductive care.

Zach Praiss

Google

Jul 08, 2022

Statement on President Biden’s Action to Protect Online Privacy and Combat Reproductive Health Misinformation

We’re grateful to President Biden for taking these necessary steps to help protect patients and keep Big Tech from profiting off the criminalization of reproductive health care.

Zach Praiss

Google

May 24, 2022

With Roe Decision Looming, AT Joins Chorus Urging Google to End Dangerous Location Data Practices

If Roe v. Wade is overturned and states enact draconian anti-abortion laws, Big Tech could be further weaponized to target people seeking reproductive care.

Zach Praiss

Google

Huffington Post

Feb 17, 2022

Google Has Made Millions Advertising Phony Government Handouts

“It’s just mind-blowing that on a platform like Google — which portrays itself as having gone above and beyond with ad transparency — you can pop up out of nowhere and run millions of dollars of blatant scam ads without raising any red flags,” said Jesse Lehrich, co-founder of the nonprofit Accountable Tech.

Victoria Vinall

Google

WIRED

Mar 22, 2021

This Group Wants to ‘Ban Surveillance Advertising’

“I was frankly shocked by how much appetite there was for this, and by how receptive folks were to the pitch,” said Jesse Lehrich, a cofounder of the advocacy group Accountable Tech. According to a January poll commissioned by Accountable Tech, 81 percent of respondents said they would be in favor of reforms to “ban companies from collecting people's personal data and using it to target them with ads.” By contrast, only 63 percent said they supported breaking up companies like Facebook and Google, another idea that has been proposed by lawmakers like Elizabeth Warren.

Victoria Vinall

Google

Nov 11, 2020

Statement on Facebook and Google’s Ad Moratorium

If Facebook and Google are truly incapable of reviewing and safely running Georgia Senate ads without opening the floodgates of paid disinformation across their platforms, it’s a damning indictment of their own business model.

Zach Praiss

Tag Google

Big Tech Chose a Side. Here’s What’s Next.

Wyden urges FTC to safeguard abortion clinic visitors’ location data

Google Tracking of Abortion Clinic Visits Spurs Complaint to FTC

Google Breaks Another Promise About Tracking Your Location History

Google promised to delete location data on abortion clinic visits. It didn’t, study says

Google is Still Failing to Protect Privacy of Abortion Seekers

Google is rolling out new protections for our location data

Statement on Google Maps’s New and Enhanced Privacy Features

Sen. Elizabeth Warren wants to build a new agency to police Big Tech

One year after Roe v Wade overturned and ‘uterus surveillance’ looks grim

FEATURE-My body, my data: US fight for abortion access turns digital

Big Tech’s Toxic Business Model Could Land Abortion Seekers in Jail. Here’s How to Stop Them.

U.S. Senators Demand Google Answer for Abortion Lies Revealed by Accountable Tech Research

Google is failing to uphold post-Roe privacy pledge, Democrats say

Aditi Ramesh on how Google is Endangering Abortion-Seekers

Accountable Tech Leads Day of Action Calling on Google to Stop Collecting and Retaining Sensitive Health Location Data that Endangers Abortion Seekers

Google promised to delete sensitive data. It logged my abortion clinic visit.

Aditi Ramesh Shows how Google is Aiding Abortion Prosecutors

BREAKING: Despite Promises, Google Continues to Track and Retain Location Data for Abortion Clinic Visits

Accountable Tech Statement on YouTube’s Decision to Reinstate Donald Trump

Accountable Tech Applauds DOJ’s Antitrust Suit Against Google

Accountable Tech, 15 Partner Organizations Question Google’s Data Collection Practices For Those Seeking Abortion Care

Statement on President Biden’s Action to Protect Online Privacy and Combat Reproductive Health Misinformation

With Roe Decision Looming, AT Joins Chorus Urging Google to End Dangerous Location Data Practices

Google Has Made Millions Advertising Phony Government Handouts

This Group Wants to ‘Ban Surveillance Advertising’

Statement on Facebook and Google’s Ad Moratorium

Join the fight to rein in Big Tech.