Remember the hit song by Rockwell “Somebody’s Watching Me?” If you don’t you need to revisit this gem from 1984 because it’s become incredibly relevant to 2022. Nearly twenty years later, the lyrics ring creepily true with the overturn of Roe v. Wade:
I always feel like somebody’s watchin’ me
And I have no privacy
I always feel like somebody’s watchin’ me
Tell me is it just a dream
Unfortunately, Rockwell, it’s not a dream. That’s the sad reality these days. With the attack on our right to privacy by the conservative supreme court, somebody’s always watching us and it’s up to us to figure out how to hide.
But how?
How can you hide when technology (in your cell phones, on your computer, on the streets – video cameras) makes it nearly impossible? It’s challenging at best, but there are ways to keep your reproductive healthcare information secret by following some advice from an article by The Project on Government Oversight (POGO).
What’s interesting about the piece, which was written by Jake Laperruque, is it came out before Roe v Wade had been overturned. Laperruque saw the handwriting on the wall and his points are more valid than ever now that we’re living in this disturbing reality.
Read on for some important tips on how to protect yourself from prying eyes.
Location Tracking – Leave your phone at home when seeking reproductive healthcare. If you think you can just turn off your location tracking on your cell, POGO points out it’s not a rock-solid fix: “even if individuals turn off location tracking on various apps on their phones, the basic way phones function requires generating location data and can’t be avoided.”
Web Browsing – Googling reproductive services can also be used against you. The safest way to prevent anyone from spying on you is to use a Tor browser. This also goes for your internet search history.
Communications and Metadata – Encrypted services are a must to keep those who would do you harm from snooping in on your calls, texts, and emails.
Face Recognition – It may sound crazy, but if you’re seeking an abortion or reproductive healthcare, don dark glasses, a mask, hat, anything to disguise your face in public as cameras are everywhere. This is especially important in states like Texas where everyday citizens who’ve gone vigilante have access to facial recognition technology.
These tips will help keep you as incognito as possible during these strange times. I’m hopeful that things will change, and the United States will return to a place of sanity, but until then, all we can do is protect ourselves from surveillance by the government, law enforcement, and everyday citizens who plan to uphold the abortion ban.
Photo credit: iStock.com/drante
