We need your help to advance A.B. 793, a bill authored by Assemblymember Mia Bonta to protect people seeking abortion and gender-affirming care from dragnet-style digital surveillance. It’s facing law enforcement opposition as it heads to the Assembly floor for a vote. California’s Assemblymembers need to hear from you to stand up for what’s right.
Tell Your Assemblymember to Support aB 793
EFF is a proud co-sponsor of A.B. 793, which targets law enforcement demands that can compel tech companies to reveal the identities of people in their records who have been near a specific place or looked up particular keywords online. These demands, known as “reverse demands”, “geofence warrants,” or “keyword warrants,” are shadowy tools with questionable effectiveness, that have also falsely led police to arrest people simply going about their daily lives. Hundreds (sometimes thousands) of people can be caught up in a single demand without cause.
Following the recent Dobbs decision and an increase in state law criminalizing gender-affirming care, these broad warrants pose an even greater threat. People are coming to California to get care they can no longer get at home. But law enforcement officials from other states can ask for data on who’s been around certain clinics or searched for information on how to seek care in California. Companies such as Google—which also supports the bill—have recently seen a sharp increase in such requests.
Law enforcement officials in California want to stop this bill. Your Assemblymembers need to hear these demands not only threaten everyone’s privacy but also pose a serious, immediate danger to people seeking reproductive or gender-affirming care in California. This bill is a priority bill for the California Women’s Caucus and the California Future of Abortion Council. It is also a component of the NARAL Reproductive Freedom Scorecard. More than 50 civil liberties, reproductive justice, healthcare equity, and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups joined us to support the bill, including NARAL Pro-Choice California, Equality California, and Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California. Add your voice to the chorus.
Tell Your Assemblymember to Support aB 793
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading nonprofit organization defending civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF champions user privacy, free expression, and innovation through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development. We work to ensure that rights and freedoms are enhanced and protected as our use of technology grows. Visit https://www.eff.org