"Study Reveals Third-Party Tracking Abundant on Abortion Clinic Sites"

According to a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, more than 99 percent of abortion clinic websites include third-party tracking, thus putting visitors' privacy at risk. Following the decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization by the US Supreme Court, privacy has become a major concern. Researchers are concerned that law enforcement may begin using digital footprints to identify and prosecute individuals suspected of having abortions as several states consider laws prohibiting residents from traveling out of state to have the procedure. Third-party trackers are implemented into web pages, collecting browsing history and information about the devices visitors are using to access the site. This can include details about the user's browser, hardware, and more. Trackers are often found to send the data they collect to other companies or entities, which can then be used to create targeted advertisements or for other purposes. Online tracking is common knowledge among those who study online privacy. People who are aware that their web browsing is being tracked often dislike it but are unlikely to do anything about it, according to Lujo Bauer, co-author of the study and Professor in Carnegie Mellon's Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and Institute for Software Research. This study focuses on one scenario in which the consequences of tracking could be particularly severe. The findings should serve as a reminder that technology and regulations must continue to be developed to better balance commercial benefit and user privacy needs. Researchers recommend that people follow the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) guidance on adjusting privacy settings and installing tracking blocking browsers, among other things, to protect their privacy and health information. This article continues to discuss the study on the prevalence of third-party tracking on abortion clinic web pages. 

CyLab reports "Study Reveals Third-Party Tracking Abundant on Abortion Clinic Sites"