There are many articles about efforts to prevent the discovery of abortions in states where they are illegal. When I read them, I wonder why writers think it is possible to remain anonymous in 2022. The attack surface seems wildly large:
- Phone geolocation
- Payments
- Text messages
- Web history
- Public security cameras
- Biological tests to determine past pregnancy
Some specific pitfalls:
1. How does one secure one's browsing history? One need take many, many steps these days, and even then, it is rarely secure.
2. How is one to complete a payment online anonymously?
3. Do parcel shipping companies intend to resist court orders mandating disclosure of sender/recipient addresses ("outside the envelope")?
4. How does one travel on a US highway without leaving a record via security cameras?
There are better and worse security practices, but I don't see how a truly determined adversary can fail to discover abortions. And the attacker seems determined.
It suggests the only way to make abortions undiscoverable is to completely rethink our privacy regime.
