Google will clearly label abortion clinics in Search and Maps to reduce confusion among users looking for the procedure.
The change comes a few months after the Congressional Democrats push the tech giant to better differentiate between abortion clinics and crisis pregnancy centers, which try to discourage people from seeking abortions and possibly Failure to provide accurate medical information.
As part of the update, Google will label verified facilities that provide abortions with the result “provides abortion services,” while other locations will say “may not provide abortions.” abortion service”.
“When someone in the United States searches for health care providers that offer abortions – for example, using the query ‘abortion clinics near me’ – the Local Search result box will show verified facilities to provide abortion services,” Mark Isakowitz, Google vice president of government affairs and public policy for the United States and Canada, wrote in a Reply to Senator Mark Warner and Representative Elissa Slotkin.
“People will be able to expand their search to show other relevant listings (including from organizations that don’t provide abortions).”
WHY IT IMPORTANT
It is not uncommon for patients to seek abortion services when searching online for false information. According to a Bloomberg News investigation announced earlier this month, people searching for “regular” abortion providers are directed to crisis pregnancy centers on Google Maps.
Research by the Center Against Digital Hate Earlier this summer, 1 in 10 Google search results for abortions in states with trigger laws resulted in crisis pregnancy centers.
Google’s label update comes just a few days later Yelp website review announced it would flag the list of crisis pregnancy centers to distinguish it from clinics and medical facilities that provide abortion services.
After Dobbs’ decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, privacy experts raised concerns about how personal data could be used to determine if users are seeking abortions in the states. whether the procedure is currently illegal or not.
In July, Google said it would automatically delete location history when users go to sensitive places like abortion clinics. cycle tracking app, analysis noted often share data with third parties, rushed to issue privacy statements following the Supreme Court ruling. Flo launched an “incognito mode” It says it will allow anyone to use the app without a personal email, name and technical identifier.
