Your Practical Guide to Online Privacy
Your privacy and safety are our number one concern. We don’t ask for any personally identifiable information in our form and we don’t store anything you enter. Whether you’re concerned about your legal risk or simply don’t want a partner, parent, or someone else to know you’re researching getting an abortion - We’re in this together.
That said, you’ve likely created a little bit of a digital trail on your way to ineedana.com. That’s totally ok, we can help you reduce that.
Quick tips to minimize your digital footprint and increase your privacy right now
Clear your internet browsing history
The first thing we recommend is cleaning up what’s in your browser’s history.
To do that, you’ll need to find your browser’s history tab and either delete specific websites or clear all.
You can find specific instructions for various browsers here:
Chrome // Firefox // Safari Desktop // iPhone Safari // Microsoft Edge
In the future, to prevent your browser history from being stored use "incognito" or "private" browsing to look up information. Or, even better, download and start using Brave or Tor. These browsers erase your browsing history every time you close the app and prevent websites from tracking you.
Advanced internet browsing tip: Download and use a VPN.
Even if your browser history is never stored, your internet service provider can still see which websites you’ve been to. To prevent this, you can use a “Virtual Private Network” aka VPN. VPNs give your computer or phone a fake “IP address.” This keeps your internet service provider from knowing what you’re accessing and can help you access content that may be blocked given your location.
Lock down your texts, emails, and calls
Next up! Are you communicating on an app with other people about your abortion? A friend? An online pill provider? It’s important to think about what platforms you’re using to communicate with other people.
We highly recommend using Signal for texting and ProtonMail for emailing. Both of these services have shown their commitment to end-to-end encryption.
For texting - download the Signal app (free)
For email - use a new Proton Mail account (free with paid option)
Never heard of end-to-end encryption?
Many people haven’t! That just means the service you’re using can’t access or read the content of the messages you send on their platform. Only you and the person you are messaging can read the messages. However, some messaging services (think direct messages on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) have full access to your direct messages and if requested, could share them with law enforcement.
Know who to contact for medical and/or legal advice
If you have more specific questions than we’ve answered, especially if you’re considering self managing your abortion, there are lawyers and medical professionals ready and dedicated to helping.
The Repro Legal Helpline is available for legal advice, you can call 844-868-2812 or message through this secure online form. Once you contact them, your information will fall under attorney client privilege.
Specifically worried about legal risk?
The most important thing you can do is be careful who you share your experience with. People who have been arrested for self-managed abortions or miscarriages have been reported to the police by healthcare professionals, family, or friends. It’s only after being reported that digital evidence is then used to build a case against them.
We want to acknowledge - that sucks, it isn’t fair, and shouldn’t be the case. You should be able to share your abortion experience and story with anyone and everyone you want to 💜
It can also be helpful to remember legal risk isn’t a cut and dry thing. Just because something is illegal, doesn’t mean you’ll automatically get arrested. In fact, most bans specifically exempt the pregnant person from being prosecuted. That said, conversely, just because something is legal doesn’t mean you can’t be arrested and harassed by law enforcement (even in “safe” places like California). Everyone’s risk will vary depending on demographics and context. Your risk tolerance is also a very personal thing and can often change over time.
The M+A Hotline is available for medical advice, you can call 833-246-2632.
If you’re worried about using your own phone number to contact these resources, you can create a free virtual phone number on Google Voice just for your abortion and delete it after.
Note: in the event that a person wants to go to the Emergency Room after taking abortion pills, you should know that there is no way for a medical provider to tell the difference between a spontaneous abortion (also called a miscarriage) and an induced abortion. You don’t have to disclose anything to your doctor you’re not comfortable disclosing.
