Anti-abortion advocates can spy on your phone

I'm not sure why this isn't a bigger news story. Back in May 2016, Rewire reported on an advertising firm that used geofencing technology to spy on the phones of women in abortion clinics (or just Planned Parenthood) and then send them anti-choice advertising.

Last year, an enterprising advertising executive based in Boston, Massachusetts, had an idea: Instead of using his sophisticated mobile surveillance techniques to figure out which consumers might be interested in buying shoes, cars, or any of the other products typically advertised online, what if he used the same technology to figure out which women were potentially contemplating abortion, and send them ads on behalf of anti-choice organizations?

Here is the really scary part:

Flynn’s targeting of women seeking abortion presents a serious threat to the privacy and safety of women exercising their right to choose, as well as to abortion providers and their staff, a Rewire investigation has found. But due to weak and patchwork laws governing privacy and data collection in the United States, the conduct appears to be perfectly legal. 

Read the full article at Rewire.

Women living in Massachusetts won't have to worry, but women in the rest of the country are still fair game in this.