Hi there –

With just a few days left in 2023, I wanted to highlight one campaign in particular where we’ve collectively made a huge impact: Our effort to get Google to better secure Location History data.

Will you pitch in before our end-of-year deadline and help us hit our goal of raising $5,000 so we can continue to hold companies like Google accountable?

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After more than a year of advocacy led by Accountable Tech, Google recently announced that sensitive Location History data that could be used by right-wing states to prosecute people seeking – or assisting – abortion care will soon no longer be retained by the company. This is a huge step forward for health data privacy.

Here’s how we got here:

We conducted research into Google’s Location History practices and found that Google continued to collect and retain this sensitive data, despite a promise to delete it. We got the attention of national news outlets including NBC News and the Washington Post. In May, we launched a #HeyGoogle campaign and day of action in collaboration with partners and celebrities like Color of Change, Supermajority, Secretary Hillary Clinton, Paola Mendoza, and others.
Just as CEO Sundar Pichai took the stage at Google’s I/O conference in May, we flew a plane overhead the outdoor amphitheater, urging the company to prioritize abortion seekers' privacy. Reports indicated that Pichai was “visibly frustrated.” Two days later, Google “clarified” their policies, but it was nothing more than a PR change

With Google’s recent announcement to better secure Location History data, we won greater digital privacy protections from one of the largest collectors of location data in the world. We’re encouraged by this policy update, but we’ll continue to ensure they’re living up to their own commitments of creating a safer digital world for us all.

friend – we’re more than halfway to our goal of raising $5,000. Please give right now to help us keep companies like Google accountable --->

DONATE

Thank you for the work you’ve put in this year and the investment you’re making to protect the future of our digital landscape and democracy.

Together,

Nicole Gill
Co-founder and Executive Director
Accountable Tech