Cellphone location data
Dr. Malin said there are several ways that location services could be used to track where a woman uses her smartphone. An app could track locations if someone grants permission through the app end user agreement, for example.
A second but less likely scenario would be the service provider tracking the pings coming off cellphone towers to find a smartphone.
So what recourse does a woman have if tracked by a third-party app?
“It’s a really tricky situation there because it depends on if the individual was put expressly in harm’s way,” Dr. Malin said. What’s more, tracking someone out in public is not prohibited in general.
“There’s a big difference between documenting what an individual does within a Planned Parenthood clinic versus what they do outside of it,” he said.
Dr. Malin said it’s better that regulations protect all smartphone users rather than requiring each person to remember to turn off the location tracker and then turn it back on again. Also, it should be more of an opt-in situation – where app developers must ask permission to track app usage or location services – versus making each woman opt out.
Think before you share
Vindictive or untrustworthy partners and family members of women in abusive relationships could also be a cause of concern, said Mr. Kreis.
“Individuals within a woman’s closest circles could hold abortions over their head or threaten reporting them for reproductive health care or miscarriages,” he said.
It’s not uncommon for women to experience domestic violence after having an abortion, particularly if their partners were unaware they had the procedure, according to Dr. Clayton.
She said women should also be mindful of what they share on social media.
Dr. Clayton gave the example of a woman seeking advice on where to get a safe abortion or how to order certain medications.
“If someone goes online to look for that, that’s potentially dangerous.”
A version of this article first appeared on WebMD.com.