Read this first

In a banned state, your phone is evidence.

Browser history, period-app data, Messenger DMs, and Google searches have been used to prosecute pregnant people. Here's what works.

Documented prosecutions

Real cases where digital evidence put pregnant people in jail.

Mississippi · 2018

Latice Fisher

After a stillbirth at home, Fisher voluntarily handed police her iPhone. Prosecutors used Google searches for "buy Misopristol Abortion Pill Online" — performed ~10 days before the loss — to indict her on second-degree murder. She spent weeks in jail before a second grand jury declined to indict.

Source: Washington Post · Fast Company

Nebraska · 2023

Celeste & Jessica Burgess

Police served Meta a warrant. Meta produced private Facebook Messenger DMs — at the time, not encrypted — in which the mother and her 17-year-old daughter discussed obtaining mifepristone/misoprostol. Celeste: 90 days jail + 2 years probation. Jessica: 2 years prison.

Source: NBC News · The 19th

Indiana · 2015

Purvi Patel

Convicted of feticide and child neglect (20-year sentence) largely on text messages to a friend about ordering abortion pills from Hong Kong — even though toxicology found no drugs in her system. Conviction vacated on appeal in 2016.

Source: Wikipedia · Slate

Oklahoma · 2021

Brittney Poolaw

Convicted of first-degree manslaughter after a 15–17-week miscarriage. Prosecutors leaned on hospital-disclosed toxicology — despite the medical examiner being unable to attribute causation. Sentence: 4 years.

Source: CBS News · Petrie-Flom Center, Harvard

Pregnancy Justice tracked 412 pregnancy-related prosecutions June 2022 – June 2024. In 264 of those, the evidence chain originated in a medical setting — clinicians and EMRs are themselves a leak point. Read the full tracker.

What actually works

Tier 1 (best) → Tier 3 (better than nothing).

Tier 1

For sensitive research

  • Tor Browser. The only browser that defeats both ISP/network logs and site-level fingerprinting. Use for any abortion-related searches you don't want anyone to ever see. torproject.org
  • Signal with disappearing messages (24h or shorter). Never SMS, never iMessage with iCloud Backup on, never Messenger pre-encryption.
  • ProtonMail or Tutanota for clinic correspondence, pill orders, fund applications. Free tiers exist.
  • Euki period app — on-device only, no cloud, no account. The only period app Mozilla's Privacy Not Included rates clean. Or Apple Health with iCloud Health sync OFF.
Tier 2

If Tor isn't an option

  • Brave or Firefox + DuckDuckGo / Startpage / Brave Search. Better than Chrome, but your ISP and Google account still see queries if you're signed in.
  • Audited no-logs VPN like Mullvad or IVPN (both accept cash). Hides traffic from ISP — but the VPN itself is now your single point of trust.
  • iOS Advanced Data Protection ON. Encrypts iCloud backups end-to-end so Apple can't hand them over.
Tier 3

The minimum

  • Sign out of Google / Microsoft / Apple before searching.
  • Don't bring your phone (with location services on) to a clinic. Geofence warrants and data brokers (SafeGraph sold Planned Parenthood visitor data for $160) can place you there.
  • Set a passcode — not biometrics — and power down before any law-enforcement contact. Biometrics have weaker 5th Amendment protection.

Things people get wrong

"Private windows" do not hide anything from your ISP, employer, or Google account.

  • Don't Google "abortion clinic near me" or pill names while signed into any personal account. Those queries are retained and warrantable.
  • Don't use Stardust period app — TechCrunch documented it sharing phone numbers with third-party analytics; its policy says it will comply with law enforcement.
  • Don't voluntarily hand your unlocked phone to police. In most states you can refuse without a warrant.
  • Don't tell clinicians in a banned state more than they need to know. 264 of 412 post-Dobbs cases sourced evidence from medical settings.
  • Don't use cloud backups for anything sensitive. iCloud Backup, Google Drive, Google Photos are warrantable and not E2EE by default.
  • Don't reuse your everyday email/phone/payment for pill orders. Use a fresh ProtonMail and prepaid card or cash.
  • Don't assume "Incognito" or "Private Browsing" hides anything from anyone but a person looking at your device.

Period apps: switch to one that can't be subpoenaed

Cycle data has been subpoenaed in pregnancy prosecutions. Use an app that stores your data on your device only.

Use these

  • Drip — open-source, on-device only, no account. dripapp.org
  • Euki — on-device, password-protected, no cloud, NDF-funded. eukiapp.com
  • Periodical — on-device only, no account, no analytics. iOS only.
  • Apple Health — native cycle tracking. Turn OFF iCloud Health sync (Settings → Apple ID → iCloud → Health).

Avoid these

  • Flo — settled with FTC over data sharing; Mozilla flags privacy concerns.
  • Stardust — TechCrunch documented third-party data sharing; policy commits to law-enforcement cooperation.
  • Clue — better than most but stores data on EU servers (still warrantable for U.S. law enforcement via MLAT).
  • Glow — multiple privacy incidents, in-app advertising network.

How to migrate

  1. Note your last 3 cycles' start dates from your current app.
  2. Delete the account from your old app's website (not just the app — that leaves data on their servers).
  3. Email privacy@[appname].com with a GDPR/CCPA deletion request — even if you're not in California or Europe, most apps honor it.
  4. Install Drip, Euki, or Periodical. Re-enter the 3 cycles. Done.

Mozilla's Privacy Not Included rates every period and pregnancy app. Update annually.

If you suspect stalkerware

Hidden monitoring software is increasingly used by abusive partners. Here's how to detect it.

Warning signs

  • Battery drains noticeably faster than it used to.
  • Phone runs hot or sluggish even when idle.
  • Unexplained data usage, especially when you weren't using the phone.
  • Strange notifications or apps you didn't install.
  • Your partner knows things they shouldn't — locations, conversations, search history.
  • iOS: the small green or orange dot in the status bar appears unexpectedly (mic/camera in use).

What to do

  • Do not remove the stalkerware until you have a safety plan in place — sudden removal can escalate the abuse.
  • Use the Coalition Against Stalkerware detection tools (free, vetted).
  • Contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline first: 1-800-799-7233. Their Tech Safety project will walk you through a safe removal plan.
  • For a clean phone immediately: factory reset (after backing up only the data you choose), then change every password from a different device.
  • iOS users: Lockdown Mode (Settings → Privacy & Security) blocks most spyware delivery vectors.

If law enforcement contacts you

Call the Repro Legal Helpline before you say anything. Free. Confidential. Lawyer-staffed. All 50 states.

1-844-868-2812

If you're arrested or facing charges, the Repro Legal Defense Fund covers bail and legal expenses: reprolegaldefensefund.org

Go deeper

Authoritative guides from organizations who've done the work.

This page is not legal advice. It synthesizes verified guidance from EFF, Digital Defense Fund, and the Repro Legal Helpline. Laws and tools change — verify with the Repro Legal Helpline before relying on any specific step.

If your partner monitors your phone or controls your reproductive decisions, see our relationship-safety guide — it covers digital safety alongside concealable contraception and exit planning.

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