Abortion surveillance: in a post-Roe world, could an internet search lead to an arrest?

Imminent end to legal abortion sparks concerns over how law enforcement might access data to prosecute patients and providers

A leaked draft opinion suggesting the US supreme court may overturn the landmark abortion rights decision Roe v Wade has renewed concerns over the ways US law enforcement could ask tech companies to hand over Americans' data if they were to prosecute individuals getting or providing abortion services.

Tech firms and data brokers already collect, store and often sell years' worth of information on their users. There are few federal regulations that protect such data, making the information, which includes data on location, internet searches, and communication history, extremely valuable and easily accessible to law enforcement.