Abortion clinics have long been battlegrounds, with protestors outside, lawmakers tightening restrictions, and threats of violence aimed at providers like me. The Digital Defense Fund (DDF) recognizes that the fight is also happening online, in data servers, and through surveillance that tracks patients before they even set foot in a clinic.
When a Google search, a period-tracking app, or a text message can be used as evidence in court, it’s never been more important to protect your patients’ digital privacy.
Since 2017, DDF has provided security evaluations, privacy education, technical support, and other services to abortion providers and activists.
Why Reproductive Rights Need Digital Defense
Digital surveillance is one of the state’s most powerful weapons. The same technologies that allow us to connect, share, and organize can also be used to track, monitor, and prosecute.
Law enforcement has already begun using digital records against people seeking abortion care. Search histories, location data, and even private text messages have been weaponized in criminal investigations.
A Brookings Institute report documents several cases where pregnant individuals were investigated for abortion-related offenses based on digital evidence. Patients can’t trust their phones, emails, or even the privacy of their web searches.
The report highlights how prosecutors use broad interpretations of existing laws to investigate and charge people. With state legislatures failing to explicitly exempt pregnant people from prosecution, ambiguity creates a climate of fear that discourages people from seeking reproductive healthcare. New technology amplifies these dangers, making it easier for law enforcement to track, investigate, and criminalize abortion.
Additionally, anti-abortion extremists have a history of harassment, doxxing, and cyberattacks. With a federal government willing to look the other way on anti-abortion violence, these kinds of attacks will certainly become more common.
How the Digital Defense Fund Protects Abortion Access
DDF is a team of organizers, engineers, designers, and abortion rights activists working together to create safer digital spaces for everyone in the reproductive justice movement.
Here are some of the services they offer;
- Digital security resources. DDF maintains an online library to help providers and patients protect personal medical records. Their “Keep Your Abortion Private & Secure” guide offers essential steps for minimizing digital footprints, avoiding surveillance, and maintaining confidentiality when seeking abortion care.
- Full security evaluations for clinics and advocacy groups. They identify vulnerabilities in organizations’ systems and provide customized recommendations to strengthen digital defenses.
- Security audits. Websites are frequent targets of hacking attempts and misinformation campaigns. By fortifying these sites, DDF preserves access to accurate information about abortion care, resources, and online appointments.
- Training for reproductive justice organizations. Staff and volunteers learn how to prevent doxxing, recognize phishing attempts, and secure their communications against cyber threats.
Keeping Patients Safe Online
The biggest threat to abortion seekers isn’t just physical surveillance—it’s digital tracking. Many people don’t realize how much of their reproductive health information is collected, stored, and shared by tech companies.
After Roe fell, a Mississippi woman was charged with second-degree murder because she searched for abortion pills online before giving birth to a stillborn baby. The state of Indiana convicted a woman after using text messages to a friend about abortion pills against her in court.
Law enforcement doesn’t need to break into your home to investigate you. They just need access to your phone. That’s why DDF teaches patients how to take control of their digital privacy.
The group recommends disabling location tracking on smartphones so anti-abortion groups and law enforcement can’t use geofencing to track who visits a clinic. They also suggest encrypted messaging apps like Signal instead of SMS, which can be accessed through subpoenaed phone records.
DDF urges abortion seekers to use privacy-focused search engines like DuckDuckGo rather than Google, which logs every search and stores data. DDF also provides guidance on opting out of targeted advertising that can identify and profile your online activity.
Beyond Abortion Rights: A Digital Future for All Movements
While abortion access remains at the core of DDF’s work, the group expanded its mission in 2023 to support other movements fighting for autonomy and liberation.
They now provide digital defense for:
- Trans rights organizations facing online harassment.
- Harm reduction advocates protecting drug users from criminalization.
- Election integrity groups combating digital misinformation.
- Reproductive justice movements working across multiple issues.
Surveillance, criminalization, and online attacks affect all marginalized communities. By supporting movements across multiple sectors, DDF is expanding its scope in its fight for justice.
Support Digital Security for Reproductive Justice
If you support abortion rights and digital privacy, here’s how you can help:
- Explore DDF’s resource library and improve your digital security.
- Encourage abortion clinics and other providers to seek digital security training.
- Spread awareness about the risks of digital surveillance and how to protect against them.
Reproductive freedom must include digital privacy. Thanks to the Digital Defense Fund and other organizations that share their mission, that future is possible.
