(WASHINGTON) — The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) today announced the formation of the Task Force on Protecting Reproductive Health Information, a multistakeholder group of experts representing tech companies, academia, and civil rights and privacy organizations aimed at identifying ways to protect the privacy and access to information of people seeking reproductive health care.
The task force includes representatives from major technology and telemedicine companies; civil society organizations such as the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, ACLU, Brennan Center for Justice, and Electronic Frontier Foundation; and experts in reproductive justice, health data privacy, law enforcement and civil liberties. Those experts include Jessica Rich, former Director of the FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection; Laurie Rubiner, former VP at Planned Parenthood for America; Riana Pfefferkorn of Stanford University; Professor Jill Morrison of Georgetown Law; Cynthia Conti-Cook of the Ford Foundation; and former Department of Justice officials.
“The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has created complex privacy, data, and content moderation issues,” says CDT President and CEO Alexandra Reeve Givens. “This task force will identify and discuss concrete steps companies can take to protect their users’ data, what policies can be put in place to support reliable reproductive health information online, and appropriate boundaries on law enforcement requests for data about providers and people seeking reproductive health care.”
The task force offers the opportunity for participants to bring issues of concern, share resources, and engage in active dialogue about ways that companies that hold users’ sensitive information and support online information can respond to the range of challenges raised by the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The group will also provide a forum for engagement with reproductive rights organizations and other stakeholders.
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CDT is a 27-year-old 501(c)3 nonpartisan nonprofit organization that fights to put democracy and human rights at the center of the digital revolution. It works to promote democratic values by shaping technology policy and architecture, with a focus on equity and justice.