As gender-affirming care and abortion face bans in numerous conservative-leaning states across the nation, a growing number of Americans find themselves compelled to travel to more progressive states in search of crucial healthcare services. While progressive leaders endeavor to create sanctuary states to protect those seeking such care, a concerning report from the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P) sheds light on how conservative states can deploy surveillance tools to monitor the movements of their residents.
Utilizing Surveillance Tools to Track Healthcare Seekers
The report issued by S.T.O.P reveals that prosecutors and state officials have an array of surveillance tools at their disposal, including automated license plate readers and street cameras. They can harness commercially available surveillance data to identify and track individuals seeking, facilitating, or supporting out-of-state healthcare services. A startling example cited in the report involves the use of data brokers’ platforms to pinpoint the homes of visitors to an abortion clinic in Illinois and track them across state lines to Missouri, where abortion is prohibited.
High Surveillance Risks During Last Mile Travel
Data from cell phones has long been employed to monitor a person’s movements, encompassing everything from text messages to search history. However, the report illustrates that data from ride-sharing companies, such as Uber and Lyft, as well as bikeshare apps, can now be exploited to trace someone’s journey to an out-of-state clinic or medical center. The “last mile travel,” the final ride to the healthcare facility, presents elevated risks as car travel becomes particularly susceptible to surveillance.
State Laws and Private Companies Impacting Healthcare Seekers
The report cautions that state attorneys general, who have prohibited abortion and gender-affirming care, are determined to prevent individuals from violating these laws. Republican attorneys general from 19 states recently demanded access to private medical records of citizens crossing state lines to access these services. As states, private companies, and federal agencies restrict anonymous travel and cash payment while collecting and leaking healthcare seekers’ personal data, privacy remains compromised, and healthcare seekers continue to face the threat of investigation and prosecution.
In response to state bans on vital healthcare, the report highlights the significance of healthcare sanctuary laws that safeguard travelers. However, it emphasizes that genuine protection necessitates addressing the collection and utilization of travel data, healthcare data, smartphone data, and payment data that currently expose healthcare seekers to surveillance and legal jeopardy.
As the nation grapples with these issues, the need for preserving healthcare rights and privacy becomes more urgent than ever.