An investigation finds Google Maps isn't proactively deleting location data consistently when users visit abortion clinics, after Google pledged to in July 2022
Geoffrey A. Fowler / Washington Post : LinkedIn: Zach Praiss and Heidi Saas Tweets: @snowjake , @abortionfront , @alphabetworkers , @biancarecto , @washingtonpost , @washingtonpost , and @washingtonpost LinkedIn: Zach Praiss : So proud of my colleague, Aditi Ramesh, for speaking with The Washington Post about our research that found Google is still collecting … Heidi Saas : 👁 From the article: “Misleading the public about data privacy practices is possibly illegal under the authority of the Federal Trade Commission. … Tweets: Jake Snow / @snowjake : Instead of relying on law enforcement and tech companies to protect people's rights to seek sanctuary in California, we should pass #AB793, @AsmMiaBonta's bill to stop reverse warrants. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... @abortionfront : Remember when Google promised to delete user's sensitive data to protect against prosecution for abortion? Because y'know, people's LIVES and FREEDOM are on the line? Welp, turns out that promise is going about as well as Google glasses. NOT GOOD. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... https://twitter.com/... @alphabetworkers : It's clear @Google needs to adequately resource and support workers who want to protect Google users. This isn't a question of limited resources, just lack of prioritization. https://twitter.com/... Bianca Recto / @biancarecto : “No one should be tracked or targeted for their personal health decisions. But that's exactly what Big Tech's business model of surveillance advertising is designed to do” - @accountabletech's @aditinramesh #HeyGoogle https://twitter.com/... @washingtonpost : Google's surveillance of our intimate affairs is not only creepy, it's also a reminder we've left critical elements of our civil rights up to the whims of a giant corporation, Fowler writes. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... @washingtonpost : Tech columnist @geoffreyfowler conducted a series of tests on Google Maps to see if the tech giant is living up to its promise to delete data when users visit abortion clinics. His investigation revealed Google wasn't doing that in any consistent way. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... https://twitter.com/... @washingtonpost : Our investigation finds Google still retains location data about users who visit clinics, hospitals and other ‘particularly personal’ locations, despite Google's commitment to delete it. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Context & Ripple Effects
In July 2022, weeks after the draft ruling reversing Roe leaked, Google pledged to [[a:980437|auto-delete visits to abortion clinics, domestic violence shelters, and other sensitive medical facilities]] from users' location histories — a direct answer to reports that [[a:981602|location-data firm Tapestri had been approached by two buyers seeking device data on abortion clinic visitors]]. The pledge was Google's way of distinguishing itself from the broker market, where SafeGraph had already stopped selling Planned Parenthood visitor data.
The Washington Post investigation now finds that pledge isn't being executed consistently — Google is still collecting and retaining clinic-visit location data for some users. That lands on top of a separate credibility problem: Bloomberg had already found Google Maps steering abortion-seekers toward crisis pregnancy centers, and ProPublica's pharmacy analysis showed Google Analytics itself harvesting sensitive data from abortion-pill sellers. Sources cited in the article argue misleading the public about privacy practices may violate FTC authority.
First-order effects
- Users who visited abortion clinics after the July 2022 pledge may still have deletable location records in Google's systems — the exact exposure Google's promise was meant to eliminate, now documented by the Post and privacy researchers including Jake Snow and Aditi Ramesh.
- Google faces a gap between a public commitment and shipped product, handing the FTC and state enforcers a documented instance where stated privacy practice diverges from observed behavior.
Second-order effects
- Rivals and brokers are now held to a Google-set standard the company itself misses: SafeGraph's voluntary exit from clinic data and Tapestri's reported buyers show the market didn't stop — it moved to less visible intermediaries, making Google's shortfall the benchmark every privacy pledge gets measured against.
- Abortion providers and digital-rights groups gain a concrete enforcement exhibit, strengthening the case for FTC action on location-data promises and pushing app makers and pharmacies to audit third-party trackers like Google Analytics.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, location privacy for sensitive medical care shifts from voluntary corporate pledges toward enforceable rules — with the FTC's deception authority as the likely instrument and 'sensitive place' auto-deletion becoming a regulated baseline rather than a differentiator.
- The structural risk is a two-tier data economy: consumer-facing platforms making auditable deletion promises while the broker layer that Tapestri's buyers represent operates with fewer commitments — pushing regulators toward the intermediaries, not just the brands.
The trend: Post-Roe, location privacy is moving from unilateral Big Tech pledges toward regulatory enforcement, as the gap between what platforms promise on sensitive-location data and what their systems actually do becomes the central battleground.