Google to delete US users' location history on visit to abortion clinics, domestic violence shelters

Google on Friday announced that it will delete users' location history when they visit abortion clinics, domestic violence shelters and other places where privacy is sought.

Tech giant, Google, on Friday made an announcement that it will delete users' location history when they visit abortion clinics, domestic violence shelters and other places in the US.

Jen Fitzpatrick, a senior vice president at Google, wrote in a blog post, "If our systems identify that someone has visited one of these places, we will delete these entries from Location History soon after they visit," as reported by AFP.

"This change will take effect in the coming weeks," he added. Fitzpatrick also sought to reassure users that the company takes data privacy seriously.

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This step will be taken for places where privacy is sought. Other places include fertility centers, addiction treatment facilities and weight-loss clinics.

The announcement comes a week after the US Supreme Court made the tectonic decision to strip American women of constitutional rights to abortion, leading a dozen states to ban or severely restrict the procedure and prompting mass protests across the country.

Activists and politicians have been asking tech giants to limit the amount of information they collect to avoid it being used by law enforcement for abortion investigations and prosecutions.