Biden's executive order on abortion access aims to address privacy issues
The Biden White House has taken a step forward to shore up some of the privacy concerns that have been raised following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. In a new executive order addressing abortion access and other issues, the White House has suggested trying to increase privacy protections for people seeking reproductive health care, though it unclear what policies might change as a result of this action.
The order highlights "the potential threat to patient privacy caused by the transfer and sale of sensitive health-related data and digital surveillance." And he offers advice to other agencies, like the FTC, though he refrains from proposing new regulations.
Instead, the order appears to leave much to the discretion of the FTC and the Department of Health and Human Services. For example, the Chairman of the FTC is said to be "encouraged to consider actions...to protect the privacy of consumers when seeking information about and providing reproductive health services." It also states that the Attorney General and Secretary of Health and Human Services should "consider actions to educate consumers on how best to protect their health privacy and limit the collection and sharing of their information." sensitive to health".
Biden's executive order comes after privacy advocates and activists warned that the lack of federal privacy regulations could have dire consequences for people seeking abortions after Roe. Period-tracking apps have attracted outsized attention, but experts say the problem runs much deeper than just one type of app. And while the executive order doesn't touch on issues like data brokers or the vast collection of personal information by tech companies, the issue has caught the attention of Congress. On the same day as Biden's executive order, a group of House Oversight Committee Democrats launched an investigation into five data brokers and the companies behind five popular cycle-tracking apps.
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The Biden White House has taken a step forward to shore up some of the privacy concerns that have been raised following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. In a new executive order addressing abortion access and other issues, the White House has suggested trying to increase privacy protections for people seeking reproductive health care, though it unclear what policies might change as a result of this action.
The order highlights "the potential threat to patient privacy caused by the transfer and sale of sensitive health-related data and digital surveillance." And he offers advice to other agencies, like the FTC, though he refrains from proposing new regulations.
Instead, the order appears to leave much to the discretion of the FTC and the Department of Health and Human Services. For example, the Chairman of the FTC is said to be "encouraged to consider actions...to protect the privacy of consumers when seeking information about and providing reproductive health services." It also states that the Attorney General and Secretary of Health and Human Services should "consider actions to educate consumers on how best to protect their health privacy and limit the collection and sharing of their information." sensitive to health".
Biden's executive order comes after privacy advocates and activists warned that the lack of federal privacy regulations could have dire consequences for people seeking abortions after Roe. Period-tracking apps have attracted outsized attention, but experts say the problem runs much deeper than just one type of app. And while the executive order doesn't touch on issues like data brokers or the vast collection of personal information by tech companies, the issue has caught the attention of Congress. On the same day as Biden's executive order, a group of House Oversight Committee Democrats launched an investigation into five data brokers and the companies behind five popular cycle-tracking apps.
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
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