As of June 24, 2022, the U.S Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, and Casey v. Planned Parenthood, which gave all American women and other birthing Americans the right to abortions. Suffice it to say, this is a terrible decision, and it’s a punch in the gut that it happened during my lifetime. It shows that the fundamental human rights that I thought were guaranteed, for myself, and for my friends and family, simply can’t be counted on. And so, I implore you, even if you don’t seem to be affected by this ruling, please please please, take steps now to protect your privacy, rights, and security. And this is doubly true for women, my LGBTQ+ friends, and all vulnerable minorities.

General advice

Use the Tor Browser

Tor helps ensure that your internet service provider cannot see the websites that you visit. They can only see that you’re using Tor. If you’re concerned that your internet service provider might assist your adversaries, then you should be using tor for all sensitive work, such as visiting the rest of the links in this article.

Use Signal

In the United States, law enforcement can read all of your text messages without a warrant. Use an end to end encrypted alternative like Signal.

Keep in mind, especially when you’re making phone calls, it’s still technically possible for information about your conversations to be dangerous. For example, from EFF’s guide on communication:

They know you called a gynecologist, spoke for a half hour, and then called the local Planned Parenthood’s number later that day, but nobody knows what you spoke about.

For further reading on keeping safe while communicating:

Don’t Use Google

Use an alternative search engine like DuckDuckGo that keeps less information about your searches than other options

Use Cash

In the United States, law enforcement can access all transactions on your credit and debit card, with either a subpoena or a warrant. Sensitive purchases, or purchases in sensitive locations, should be done with cash, if possible.

If you’re likely to be arrested, take special precautions

In the United States, law enforcement can legally compel you to unlock your devices with biometrics (fingerprints, FaceID). If that’s a risk, disable biometric authentication and set strong passwords on your devices. Odds are good that passwords are protected by the Fifth Amendment.

Also consider using disappearing messages on Signal, which can automatically clean up messages that you don’t want people to see in case your phone is seized.

Specific Advice

Women and Birthing Persons

Period apps

Double check the privacy policy of any health apps you use. Ensure that they don’t sell your data. If you live in a place where period data could be used against you, ensure that any data is not synced to the cloud. In the United States, law enforcement does not need a warrant to access data stored in the cloud. The most secure option is to use paper.

For more reading, this NPR article is good: How period tracking apps and data privacy fit into a post-Roe v. Wade climate

Abortions

Follow the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s guide for security and privacy for those seeking an abortion. Also understand the risks of having a phone with you: Privacy Breakdown of Mobile Phones

Please act with caution and follow good security practices. See this article for more information: How an online search for abortion pills landed this woman in jail

LGBTQ+ People

Activists

Those Involved with Abortion Access

EFF has a good guide: Digital Safety Tips: for providers of abortion support

Non-tech resources

If there’s anything I missed, if there are any corrections that need to be made, or if there are additional resources, both technical or non-technical that I should add, please, let me know. I only have one perspective on these issues, so any input would be greatly appreciated.