S.T.O.P. Condemns Meta For Helping Nebraska Prosecute Teen For Abortion

For Immediate Release


S.T.O.P. Condemns Meta For Helping Nebraska Prosecute Teen For Abortion

(New York, NY, 8/9/2022) - Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a privacy and civil rights group, condemns Meta for helping Nebraska officials prosecute a seventeen-year-old teenager for allegedly violating the state’s 20-week abortion ban. Meta reportedly shared the teenager’s Facebook Messenger data after receiving a warrant from Nebraska law enforcement. This is the first reported case where Facebook data has been used to prosecute an abortion since the repeal of Roe v. Wade.

SEE: Forbes - Facebook Gave Nebraska Cops A Teen's DMs So They Could Prosecute Her For Having An Abortion
https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilybaker-white/2022/08/08/facebook-abortion-teen-dms/?sh=571f42c8579c

“Facebook’s failure to encrypt users’ data is indefensible,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “Meta touts its privacy, but it still hasn’t done what’s needed to protect Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp. Facebook could have stopped this warrant if they simply encrypted the data. And Facebook and other companies should be fighting these warrants in court. In post-Roe America, this sort of privacy malpractice is criminal.”

In May, S.T.O.P. released Pregnancy Panopticon: Abortion Surveillance After Roe, detailing the threat digital surveillance poses to abortion seekers after the repeal of Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. S.T.O.P. warned that users concerned about surveillance should use Signal and other secure messaging apps rather than Facebook Messenger or text messaging. 

SEE: Report – Pregnancy Panopticon: Abortion Surveillance After Roe
https://www.stopspying.org/pregnancy-panopticon

Press Release - S.T.O.P. Welcomes Congressional Call For Google To Delete Location Data
https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2022/5/24/stop-welcomes-congressional-call-for-google-to-delete-location-data

The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider. S.T.O.P. litigates and advocates for privacy, fighting excessive local and state-level surveillance. Our work highlights the discriminatory impact of surveillance on Muslim Americans, immigrants, and communities of color.

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CONTACT: S.T.O.P. Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn
 
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