The Handmaid's Tale was not intended as a guide.
But the reality in America approximates Margaret Atwood's 1985 dystopian novel in a frightening way.
In any case, the »land of the free« would not be far (enough) away from the duty of women to bear children described in the book if the Supreme Court were actually to overturn the US constitutional right to abortion, which has been enshrined for half a century.
"Back to the social Middle Ages, in which the state determined what women are allowed and what not," wrote my New York colleague Marc Pitzke.
The biggest difference from the Middle Ages would then be the ability to electronically monitor women considering abortion.
Hardly anyone knows how to do this better than Joseph Cox.
The reporter from »Vice« has specialized in the topic of location data.
On Tuesday this week alone, he published two scoops:
The CDC has bought location data from millions of smartphones to monitor lockdowns and other coronavirus measures, especially in the Navajo Nation.
The CDC paid $420,000 to the data collection company SafeGraph, whose investors include Peter Thiel.
The same company also sells location and other data of people who drive to Planned Parenthood maternity hospitals and facilities, some of which perform abortions.
The data shows where people come from, how long they stay and where they go afterwards.
Cox purchased a sample record for $160.
These data sets have something in common: they are aggregated data from everyday smartphone applications, such as cycle apps, weather apps or games.
Many users may not be aware that these applications log their whereabouts and pass them on to third parties.
The data does not show when individual devices were where, but rather groups several smartphones.
But Cox says the data is still granular enough to pose a threat to the anonymity of device owners: they could potentially reveal who went to a clinic in another state after the fact.
Radical opponents of abortion could use this to identify, denounce or even attack individuals from states such as Texas or Florida, which already have strict anti-abortion laws.
As early as 2018, the »New York Times« demonstrated in an experiment that mobile phone data is sufficient to track someone to a clinic.
Entrepreneur and activist Elizabeth C. McLaughlin wrote a short, stark summary of Joseph Cox's research to her 132,000 followers on Twitter: "If you think the date of your last menstrual period is of no interest to those who want to criminalize abortion, we have one wake up call for you
Combine this data with location tracking and where you go to the doctor - and you have a target on your back.«
Our current Netzwelt reading tips for SPIEGEL.de
»Who has power over the Ukrainian tractors?« (six minutes of reading)
Russian invaders are stealing tractors worth millions in Ukraine - and can't use them because the devices have been deactivated online.
Christoph Seidler spans the spectrum from the not always unproblematic digitization of agriculture to the war.
"We can absolutely ruin Russia's economy if necessary" (six minutes of reading)
CrowdStrike co-founder Dmitri Alperovitch is currently one of the most sought-after analysts on the war in Ukraine.
My colleague Bernhard Zand spoke to him about the Russian cyber attacks so far.
»Please no more bitcoins for Wikipedia« (three minutes of reading)
The Wikimedia Foundation has decided to no longer accept donations in cryptocurrencies in the future.
Torsten Kleinz summarizes how this came about and what consequences it has for the income of the Wikipedia operator.
External links: three tips from other media
»Tiffany Dover is Dead« (Podcast, English, four episodes so far, 40 to 50 minutes each)
I like podcasts by journalists who retell their research.
How NBC News reporter Brandy Zadrozny does this in her series about a nasty Corona conspiracy theory is absolutely captivating.
»The secret language of TikTok: What is Algospeak?« (3 minutes of reading)
Do you know what »spicy eggplant«, »Nip Nops« or »Led Dollar Bean« stand for?
In »Futurezone«, Barbara Wimmer explains how young people and marginalized communities use such neologisms to trick the word filters on TikTok, for example.
How to Officially Submit Your Emoji Idea (4 minute read)
Got an idea for a new emoji?
You can submit your proposals to the Unicode Consortium until the end of July.
»Wired« author Reece Rogers explains what to watch out for and what to expect: with a »Kafkaesque submission process with long waiting times and a ton of paperwork.«
Have a good week
Patrick Beuth
