Abortion Data Tracking, Social Media Militias, and a UPC Investigation
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** CfA's October 25, 2024 Newsletter
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With your support, Campaign for Accountability is working to expose corruption and hold the powerful accountable.
** This Week's Updates:
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How Mobile Advertising Technology is Poised to Incriminate Patients Seeking Abortions
This week, 404Media ([link removed]) , NOTUS ([link removed]) , and Krebs on Security ([link removed]) reported that a private data security company had gained access to a trial version of Locate X, a surveillance tool that can used by law enforcement officials ([link removed]) to pull personal data that would otherwise require a warrant. By using the tool to zoom in on an abortion clinic, an investigator working with the company was able to identify hundreds of individuals who had visited the facility – including one who traveled from a state where abortion is illegal.
This level of tracking is enabled by unique identifiers known as Mobile Advertising IDs, or MAIDs. MAIDs allow ad buyers to “match their data to the user behind an impression,” according to Google's explainer ([link removed]) , and can enhance “serving and targeting capabilities.” 404Media pointed out ([link removed]) that Android customers must go deeper into their settings to delete or disable their MAID, while iPhones prominently present users with an opportunity to turn off tracking. Already, the Locate X tool has generated a trove of information that could be used against women who crossed state lines to seek abortion care – all thanks to MAIDs and the tech industry’s lobbying ([link removed]) against consumer data protection laws.
Militia Group Once Platformed by Facebook Complicates Delivery of FEMA Aid in North Carolina
On Wednesday, the Washington Post published a story ([link removed]) about a community in North Carolina that had been hit hard by hurricane Helene, cutting its residents off from water or electricity. Soon, a small group of men appeared and began distributing supplies – but they also disparaged FEMA relief efforts and declared that the US government had “generated” the hurricane as part of a scheme to seize private land in lithium-rich areas. Eventually, locals learned that the men belonged to Veterans on Patrol ([link removed]) (VoP), an anti-government militia organization with “internal hierarchical structure, past firearm field-training exercises, and paramilitary-style activities they believe are enforcing national security measures,” in the words of the Southern Poverty Law Center
([link removed]) . Eventually, a man unaffiliated with VoP joined their prayer circle and disrupted FEMA operations by threatening to “hunt ([link removed]) ” relief workers. The militia group left town soon after, having antagonizing residents and local law enforcement.
In 2023, CfA’s Tech Transparency Project (TTP) published a report ([link removed]) revealing that VoP was using Facebook to post about their anti-immigrant “operations” on the southern border. Much of VoP’s activity is rooted in online conspiracy theories; in 2018 ([link removed]) , the group sent believers to a homeless camp in Tucson, Arizona, which they falsely claimed was part of a sex trafficking ring. Today, VoP continues to reach thousands of followers on Telegram ([link removed]) , turning its anti-government activities into content that can be shared on other extremist channels.
Investigation Sheds Light on Deceptive Tactics Used by Anti-Abortion “Clinics”
This week, The Independent launched a multi-part investigative series ([link removed]) on reproductive rights in America, including several stories that focus on the activities of unregulated pregnancy clinics (UPCs). In one article, a young woman described ([link removed]) her experience at a UPC in Texas, which she had mistaken for a legitimate abortion clinic. Instead of receiving care, she was forced to watch a graphic video and given inaccurate information about the safety of abortion procedures. Another woman explained how an internet search for “what to do when you think you’re pregnant” led her to a UPC offering free pregnancy tests, where she filled out an intake form. The clinic staff shamed her for seeking an abortion, which she eventually received at a legitimate facility.
Unfortunately, UPCs will go to great lengths to imitate real abortion clinics and give patients a false sense of security. In April, CfA filed complaints ([link removed]) urging five state attorneys general to investigate UPCs that appear to have violated consumer protection laws by making misleading claims about HIPAA protections. In reality, UPCs are non-medical clinics that rarely take health insurance, and are therefore under fewer obligations to protect patients’ personal health information.
What We're Reading
New Report Reveals the Shadowy Money Behind the Plot to Overturn the Election ([link removed])
Watchdog Files FEC Complaint Over Elon Musk Effort to Buy Voters ([link removed])
Elon Musk’s Secret Conversations With Vladimir Putin ([link removed])
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Here is how you can stay involved and help us accomplish our mission:
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Be on the lookout for more updates about our work in the upcoming weeks. Thanks again for signing up to be a part of CfA!
Sincerely,
Michelle Kuppersmith
Executive Director, Campaign for Accountability
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