Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signs law protecting reproductive health data
The “My Health, My Data Act” puts limits on search engines and health trackers ability to collect and sell customers’ data. It will also bar the use of “geofences,” virtual perimeters that sweep up data about cellphones around a physical location, to send unsolicited messages to people at health facilities.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday signed a first-of-its-kind bill into law that creates new protections for reproductive data, responding to concerns that sensitive data collected and sold by tech companies could be used to aid prosecutions related to abortions after the fall of Roe v. Wade.
The law is an early signal of the trickle-down impact of last year’s Dobbs decision, which could usher in a patchwork of different state laws governing consumers’ health data and access to abortion information.
Other Democratic-led states could follow Washington’s lead in passing legislation with protections for sensitive health data. Meanwhile, Republicans could consider other restrictions on tech companies. South Carolina last year considered a bill that would outlaw websites that explain how to get an abortion, but the proposal ultimately did not become law amid concerns about that it might infringe on free speech.
Source: The Washington Post
