Final week, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) wrote a letter urging the Federal Commerce Fee (FTC) to deal with misleading practices within the Digital Personal Community (VPN) business. Eshoo and Wyden’s letter comes as individuals look to cover their digital footprint following the Supreme Court docket’s choice to overturn Roe v. Wade.
A VPN permits a consumer to ascertain an encrypted connection between their gadget and a non-public server, making it tougher for third events to entry their on-line exercise. With abortion turning into unlawful or restricted in a number of states, extra individuals need to conceal their messages and search historical past, as police can use this data to prosecute somebody in search of the process.
Of their letter, Eshoo and Wyden ask the FTC to clamp down on VPN suppliers that have interaction in misleading promoting, or make false assertions concerning the vary of their service’s privateness. The lawmakers cite analysis from Shopper Reviews that point out 75 p.c of the preferred VPNs “misrepresented their merchandise” or made deceptive claims that might give “abortion-seekers a false sense of safety.” Eshoo and Wyden additionally name consideration to experiences accusing numerous VPN providers of misusing consumer information, in addition to “a scarcity of sensible instruments or unbiased analysis to audit VPN suppliers’ safety claims.”
“With abortion unlawful or quickly to be unlawful in 13 states and severely restricted in lots of extra, these abusive and exploitative information practices are merely unacceptable,” the letter reads. “We urge the Federal Commerce Fee (FTC) to take instant motion… to curtail abusive and misleading information practices in firms offering VPN providers to guard web customers in search of abortions.” Eshoo and Wyden additionally ask that the FTC develop a brochure that informs anybody in search of an abortion about on-line privateness, in addition to outlines the dangers and advantages of utilizing a VPN.
Earlier this month, the FTC reaffirmed that it’s going to take motion in opposition to firms that illegally share well being, location, and different delicate information, whereas President Joe Biden signed an govt order to guard affected person privateness. Different entities have additionally taken motion in mild of the Supreme Court docket’s ruling, with Google promising to auto-delete location information related to visits to abortion clinics.