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Elle
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Elle
'I Have Zero Straight Men In My Life': Emily Ratajkowski Enters Her Free Era
Photographs by Morgan Maher, Styling by Natasha Wray Emily Ratajkowski might be your favourite woman's favourite woman. You just know a night out with her would be a blast. She can toggle from Joan Didion and political discourse to reality TV and TikTok memes, high fashion and handbags – you're going to have a good time. Indeed, women are at the centre of Ratajowski's universe right now. 'Not centring men is really wonderful,' she tells me. 'In general, in our world, men have somehow filed this space, but what I found instead of it is community.' The 34-year-old model, actor and author of the bestselling essay collection My Body – is sitting in front of a beautifully curated bookshelf in the New York apartment she shares with her four-year-old son Sly. On her T-shirt is an R Crumb illustration of a hairy, naked woman with large breasts doing a handstand. FIND OUT MORE ON ELLE COLLECTIVE 'I still like men,' she adds. 'I just have zero straight men in my life, unless they're a romantic interest. In the hierarchy of needs, that's at the top of the pyramid, which is nice. [Men are] pleasure and fun, but not a part of my core. The rest of my life is community with other women and queer people, and being a mom.' Having dinner and drinks with these women – one of them being the model and actor Adwoa Aboah – is among her favourite things to do. 'It's so fun to talk sh*t with my friends,' she says, laughing. The pair are going on holiday together this summer and, yes, 'it'll be brat' (Charli xcx is another good friend). Morgan Maher Emily Ratajkowski wears top, £1,100 and shorts, £1,980, both PRADA Aboah and Ratajkowski also appear in this summer's most- anticipated TV show, Lena Dunham's new Netflix series Too Much .Ratajkowski plays Wendy, the model/influencer rebound girlfriend of the lead's ex-boyfriend. It's the first series Dunham has writtenand directed since the iconic Girls ended in 2017, and stars Megan Stalter and Will Sharpe as made-for-each-other lovers navigating the various pressures of their thirties. The hilarious script, brilliant performances from a cast that includes Andrew Rannels, Richard E Grant and Naomi Watts and Dunham's zeitgeisty grip on the neuroses of a generation are sure to make it a huge summer hit. 'Lena leans in to some of the more 'feminine' ways of directing – over communication, consideration of everyone on set. Instead of being this domineering presence, her power lies in grace and in the ability to make everyone feel comfortable,' explains Ratajkowski, who has been friends with Dunham for more than a decade. They met when Ratajkowski first shot to fame after appearing in a Robin Thicke music video, which she later described as a pretty horrific experience: 'I didn't have any real power as the naked girl dancing around,' she wrote in the essay 'Blurred Lines', which was part of her book. 'I was nothing more than the hired mannequin.' Dunham, she tells me, was a welcoming and understanding ally, 'when no one really was, to be honest'. They went on to share drafts of their books and give each other notes. Now, 'it's a really beautiful friendship'. Dunham wrote the part especially for her friend, so Ratajkowski really couldn't turn it down, which is something she often does these days. 'I don't agree to a lot of offers,' she says. It's because she's busy writing and parenting. But also, she adds: 'I really value control. In my twenties, I didn't have a lot of it in my career. Now, I like making things and I like not being an addition to them. With Lena, I got to shape the character so much, which was really fun. It gave me a bigger role than just an actor for hire.' Morgan Maher Top, £1,380, and shorts, £1,010, both PRADA The show resonated for Ratajkowski as it explores the tension between the growing confidence and perennial sense of WTF that is so prevalent in one's thirties. 'I'm fascinated with this decade of my life,' she tells me. 'My mom had me at 39, and I remember she always romanticised her thirties as a time of self-exploration and power as a woman. I'm in the midst of it and really feel that way too.' We discuss how, in your twenties, you might think, 'Yeah, I want this', but have no concept of time, because you haven't lived enough. But now, being 34, she can remember what 24 was like. 'I know exactly what 10 years feels like, and what consequences are.' Now, she says, she understands how she can shape the next period. 'You can't control everything, but you can move towards something to give yourself the life you want, which really excites me, because when I think about 34 to 44, I'm like, 'Oh man, there's so much opportunity.' I can be so much more intentional than I was in my twenties and there won't be, like, accidents.' Morgan Maher Dress, £4,300, PRADA Ratajkowski might be a successful polymath today (starring in films such as Gone Girl , being the face of Marc Jacobs' new handbags and writing feminist polemics), but when she was younger she was 'ashamed of being a jack of all trades, and really wanted to be the person who was really excellent at one thing'. Her parents were intellectuals, and after they moved from London, where she was born, to California, she recalls her artist father having a studio that was as big as their house, and her mother, a writer and professor, creating an entire reading curriculum for her from the age of five. 'I don't think my parents ever pushed me in a certain direction. We're not religious people, so what we talked about was our stories, and politics. My dad would bring his paintings in when he was done, and we'd look at them and discuss them. And I was included in that.' Morgan Maher Hat, £1,100, PRADA. Earrings, Ratajkowski's own Talking to me about her own son, whom she had with her former husband, the producer Sebastian Bear-McClard, she says all she wants is for him to be good at critical thinking. 'I don't have any idea what he should do with his life. I think it's great when you're interested in making things and working with creative people. I want to give him that gift, but if he decides that there's something that's more fulfilling to him, that's wonderful.' It's incredible to think that Ratajkowski was only 10 years older than her son is now when she was scouted and signed to Ford Models. Her parents were supportive, eventually, enjoying the financial security and the glamour it offered, but they were no doubt thrilled their only daughter later pivoted into acting and, later, writing. She's at a good point with her writing, she says, a year and a half on from 'being in the misery of it'. After dropping Sly off at school, if she doesn't have a car picking her up to take her to a shoot, she'll return home to write and edit all day. Morgan Maher Cardigan, £1,610, and shorts, £690, both PRADA 'I used to be somebody who would write in bed and on my phone – basically anything to make it seem as if I wasn't feeling pressure. Now, I actually really enjoy the ritual of sitting down and being like, 'We're getting to work.'' Writing is, she tells me, what's getting her through this moment in American politics. 'I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about [writing], so it definitely provides a welcome distraction and focus. I hate when people, celebrities specifically, are like, 'I'm just really just focusing on my own life right now.' It's what we all do to survive [the sense that you have no control over nightmarish global politics] but, listen, the world could end tomorrow. It is important to really enjoy your life and take care of the people that you're close to.' She relates heavily to a recent piece in The New Yorker by Jia Tolentino titled 'My Brain Finally Broke'. (Ratajkowski admits she is 'chronically online', and if there's a viral long-form feature, you can bet she's read it.) In the article, Tolentino explains that 'much of what we see now is fake, and the reality we face is full of horrors. More and more of the world is slipping beyond my comprehension'. 'I'm so overwhelmed by the state of the world,' Ratajkowski says. 'It's really hard. I used to feel slightly ashamed by that. But I think there's something important in just being like, 'I'm not really totally sure what to do.'' Morgan Maher She says that 'every year I've become more and more left-wing, which is great because I think that in college there's this idea that you're going to become more conservative as you get older. But between Joe Biden and now Trump, I just feel more connected to [the left]. Basically, there's no confusion for me.' She describes the last four years of American politics as 'being asleep at the wheel'. 'With Biden,' she says, 'people were like, 'He's left-wing enough and he's not crazy. He looks like what a president should look like.' He said the right things, and I think that a lot of people backed off being politically engaged. Now, we're in a state of shock in the US, because just the first hundred days [of the Trump administration] have been this unbelievable news cycle.' She points to the demonisation of transgender people and says: 'I can't believe what's happening when it comes to trans people in this country. It's terrifying. I have friends who are parents of trans kids, and they're thinking about Canada, they're thinking about moving. I have friends who've travelled internationally and been questioned, and have had their IDs changed. I don't care about gender, other than as a personal expression. So it's really hard for me to understand this thinking and the desire to control people. But the personal is political.' Morgan Maher Jacket, £2,650, trousers, £1,150, and bag, £4,150, all PRADA So, for Ratajkowski, is fashion. She becomes visibly animated, perhaps more so than she has been throughout the entire call, leaning towards the camera, her eyes darting mischievously. 'It's a little bit of a walk to my son's school now, so I can't wear heeled shoes,' she tells me. 'But, when I was in the city, we lived two blocks from his preschool, and I would often just leave for work from there. At that point I was hosting my filmed podcast, so I would be in an outfit.' How did that go down with the other parents, I wonder. 'Oh, I was definitely dressed up compared to them. I think that's actually one of the ways I really enjoy being subversive with motherhood. There's so much around what a mom should look like.' Morgan Maher Shirt, £1,610, PRADA She believes that people who are really concerned with how they come off as a parent maybe aren't always necessarily focused enough on how they actually are. 'I know what kind of mom I am, and I only deeply care about my son's reaction to that. Anybody else who has opinions about me as a mother because of the way I dress – it's just so inconsequential.' I picture Ratajkowski dropping her son off at preschool this morning, wearing a fabulously explicit piece of art on her T-shirt, before tossing her beautiful hair over her shoulders, checking her phone, filming some hot takes and then heading home to write a feminist critique. 'I don't know, maybe it's getting older. Maybe it's motherhood, but it just is what it is,' she says, shrugging. And does she care about what other people think, I ask. 'No,' she answers. 'I don't think I do.' HAIR: Hos Hounkpatin at The Wall Group. MAKE-UP: Emi Kaneko at Bryant Artists. NAILS: Maki Sakamoto at The Wall Group. STYLIST'S ASSISTANTS: Gal Klein and Kenny Paul. ON-SET PRODUCTION: Gigi Guldas Morgan Maher This interview can be found in the July/August issue - available on newsstands now. ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE . The Audacity Of Emily Ratajkowski Lotte Jeffs Lotte Jeffs is the author of five books and their debut novel This Love, about the power of queer friendship, is out now.
USA Today
a day ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Emily Ratajkowski is over 'centering men' who don't serve a purpose
Emily Ratajkowski is taking hot girl summer literally. In a new interview with Elle UK, the model and actress told the publication that the men in her life must serve a specific purpose – or she's ready to show them the door. "Not centering men is really wonderful," she said in the article, published June 18. "In general, in our world, men have somehow filled this space, but what I found instead of it is community." "I still like men," she offered as a caveat, but added that her desire for friendship with straight men has dwindled. "I just have zero straight men in my life, unless they're a romantic interest. In the hierarchy of needs, that's at the top of the pyramid, which is nice," Ratajkowski, 34, told the magazine. While men may be good for "pleasure and fun," they're "not a part of my core" community, she explained. "The rest of my life is community with other women and queer people, and being a mom," she said. Ratajkowski shares one son, Sly, 3, with ex-husband Sebastian Bear-McClard. 'Hot girl summer,' move aside. Women are going 'boysober' and have never felt better. Now an author, the model has spent recent years sharpening her feminist voice and becoming an outspoken advocate for women's rights. Her 2021 essay collection "My Body" explored themes of female empowerment, owning your own sexuality and the exploitative tilt of the entertainment and fashion industries. Her comments echo a wider sentiment circulating in some circles online of a freedom found in "decentering" men. In line with the "boysober" trend of last summer, which saw women renouncing sex and romantic relationships for the sake of clearheadedness and empowerment, Ratajkowski's sentiments match a growing movement to throw out the boy craziness of yesteryear and dig deeper into female relationships.
Cosmopolitan
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
'Sorry Emily Ratajkowski, but having 'zero straight men in your life' is actually your loss'
The unspoken understanding of a shared holiday wardrobe. A knowing look when it's time to leave the pub and grab an Uber home. A constant stream of communication, support, and love. It's true what they say about female friendships: they often are the strongest, most important relationships of your life. The ones that see you through both the highs and the lows; those that are there to soak in the ecstasy of celebrations, but also to scoop you up off the floor when things get rough. But Emily Ratajkowksi has still got it wrong when it comes to cutting straight male friends out of her life. In a recent interview with Elle UK, the 34-year-old model revealed she was refusing to 'centre men' right now, and instead was purposefully only spending time with women and queer friends. 'I still like men,' she said, before adding: 'I just have zero straight men in my life, unless they're a romantic interest. In the hierarchy of needs, that's at the top of the pyramid, which is nice. [Men are] pleasure and fun, but not a part of my core. The rest of my life is community with other women and queer people, and being a mum.' Look, I get it. As a woman who has been constantly berated on the internet for her 'overtly sexual nature', and labelled as a sex symbol by every mainstream media outlet under the sun, it makes sense for EmRata to want to distance herself from the male gaze; to not let men define her. It's why she wrote her 2021 book, My Body, a deeply personal investigation into both the commodification of the female form and sexuality, but also her own nuanced experience of how she — and her physical body — are perceived, scrutinised, and commented on in the public eye. But to totally remove herself from any interaction with a straight male — 'unless they're a romantic interest' — is to lose out on so much that there is to gain from these relationships. The joy that a platonic male friend can bring: the alternate view point, the differing experiences of the world, and the idea that you can connect with someone of another gender in a genuinely fulfilling (but non-sexual) way. Of course, I'm sure she's getting this from the queer community, and from other women. I have no doubt she is surrounded by interesting, kind, and funny people — and these friendships are important. And beautiful! Fulfilling! Amazing! But to dismiss a whole category of potential connections based on their gender seems reductive, and, quite frankly, a loss. Some of my best friends are male. My school friends, Ed and Ben, who I've known for almost 15 years; my husband's best men, Dan and Gaz. The idea of distancing myself from them based on their gender diminishes the importance of connection; of finding another personality you properly gel with — and also pushes the outdated relic that men and women can't 'just' be friends. There's also the suggestion that men, for EmRata, are just 'pleasure and fun', and serve no purpose beyond serving her needs. Sexual gratification, sure, but emotional connection, a shared sense of humour, or seeking advice over a shared bowl of chips? Nah, she's good. This narrative seeks to create further divide between the genders at a time when we need more open communication than ever. Recent data from King's College London found that 57% of Gen Z (aged 13 to 28) men believe women's rights have gone so far that men are now actively being discriminated against (with 36% of Gen Z women agreeing with that statement too). Surely we should be encouraging young people to talk to each other; to gain an emotional understanding of differing gender's points of view, and not further push this dynamic of division? I'd argue the men I know who nurture their female friendships make for better partners, because of their increased understanding. Who wouldn't want more of that in the world? In a sense, I get what Ratajkowksi is saying: female and queer friendships are joyful, supportive, and filled with love. But there's no reason why relationships with men shouldn't be like this too (and why we can't have both.) Maybe she just hasn't met my friends Ed and Ben yet. Dusty Baxter-Wright is an award-winning journalist and the Entertainment and Lifestyle Director at Cosmopolitan, having previously worked at Sugarscape. She was named one of PPA's 30 Under 30 for her work covering pop culture, careers, interiors and travel, and oversees the site's Entertainment and Lifestyle strategy across print, digital and video. As a journalist for the best part of a decade, she has interviewed everyone from Louis Theroux and Channing Tatum to Margot Robbie and Ncuti Gatwa, while she has also spoken on Times Radio and BBC Radio. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram here.
Politico
13-06-2025
- Health
- Politico
The post-Roe fight over data privacy
Hey everyone! I hope you are all having a lovely Pride Month. Thanks for reading Women Rule. We'll be on hiatus next week and back in your inbox on June 27. Reach out and say hello: klong@ and ecordover@ This week I had a chat with Rep. Sara Jacobs on her reintroduction of the My Body, My Data Act. The post-Roe era has elevated a new data privacy fight, as concerns grow over how reproductive and sexual health data is collected and disclosed. But the issue has been front of mind for Rep. Sara Jacobs for years, even prior to the Dobbs decision. The California Democrat reintroduced the My Body, My Data Act on Thursday, which aims to increase protections for those who use apps and sites that collect reproductive and sexual health data, such as period tracking apps. Jacobs points to certain instances where reproductive health data, which is not protected under HIPAA, has been used to investigate and prosecute users in states with strict abortion laws. Jacobs describes the push to protect reproductive and sexual health data as 'the abortion fight of the 21st century.' The bill, which was introduced in 2022 and then reintroduced the following year, would provide consumer protections for users who disclose their reproductive and sexual health data on apps and websites. This includes limiting the data that can be collected to only that which is necessary to provide a certain product or service, and bolstering transparency from companies on how that data is collected, retained and shared. Sens. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) sponsored the bill's Senate counterpart. The legislation was introduced twice before, first in 2022 and again the following year, but made little headway. And with a Republican-controlled Congress, the bill's reintroduction will likely result in a similar fate. Women Rule spoke with Jacobs on the reintroduction of the bill, which comes on the heels of the three-year anniversary of the Dobbs decision. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. I first wanted to talk a little bit about the bill. I think especially in a post-Roe world, there's growing concern over government tracking on period apps and other apps and sites related to reproductive and sexual health. I first introduced this bill because right after the opposite decision came down when Roe v. Wade was overturned, I started getting all these messages from friends and peers wondering what they should do about their period tracking apps, and I also use a period tracking app, and we started looking into it and there's basically no protections for this kind of reproductive and sexual health data. It's not covered under HIPAA, and so we're already seeing people try to use this data to go after people who are getting abortions and those helping them in states that have criminalized abortion. We know that they want to go after this data, and so I think it's incredibly important that we as Congress do something to protect this very sensitive data. Actually, there was a poll two years ago that showed that 2 in 3 Americans, including 54 percent of Republicans, support Congress making it illegal for apps and search engines to sell their reproductive health data. Why is it important for this bill to pass now? Well, in 2017, even before the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Mississippi police used Google search history to go after someone and alleged that she had an abortion. In 2022, the police used Facebook messages in Nebraska as part of an investigation into an abortion illegal under state law. More recently, a data broker sold cell phone and geolocation data to an anti-abortion political group that then used that information to dispense misinformation about reproductive health to people who had visited 600 abortion clinics in 48 states. And more Americans are turning to online clinics for medication abortions. Young people increasingly use the internet, live online, we are googling questions about medicine, we are using Ubers to get places, right? And all of this data can be misused, and we know the lengths that police and prosecutors will go to to try and intimidate or prosecute people for having abortions. With a Republican controlled Congress, it seems unlikely that the bill will pass, but have you received any support from across the aisle? Unfortunately, while I work in a bipartisan way with a lot of Republicans on data privacy, when it comes to this kind of data, they have been unwilling to engage even though they claim to support data privacy. We're coming up on the three-year anniversary of Roe v. Wade being overturned, and you've mentioned a few examples. Could you talk about how the Dobbs decision has impacted those who use these reproductive and self sexual health tracking apps and sites? Look, especially in states that have criminalized abortion — something like 1 in 3 women live in a state that has criminalized abortion in some way — there is an incredible amount of fear that even if they have a natural miscarriage they could be prosecuted because they Googled something once or that this kind of information can be used against [them] and weaponized against people. I think as we're seeing more and more states and as we know that at the end of the day this Republican Party wants a federal abortion ban, it's more important than ever that we protect people's data. Is there anything in particular about the My Body My Data Act that you would like to highlight? This is the abortion fight of the 21st century, right? Because it's about access and it's about how they're enforcing these really horrible laws. Americans are now becoming more aware of how their data is being used and stored, in part because of DOGE and what Elon Musk is doing. And we know that women are often trying to find the apps and services that claim to safeguard their data, but each individual person shouldn't have to try and figure this out on their own, and it shouldn't be up to companies to do the right thing. This is the exact kind of thing you need the government for, to protect very sensitive health data. And young people intrinsically understand this issue from both sides of the aisle. But part of what's hard is that so many of my colleagues do not understand this. There's just a bit of a mismatch between Congress and the American people on this issue. POLITICO Special Report How Kamala Harris Is Processing the LA Unrest by Melanie Mason for POLITICO: 'Harris has been choosy about when to weigh in publicly on politics since leaving Washington. So her statement on social media this week denouncing President Donald Trump's activation of the National Guard as a 'dangerous escalation' instantly lent itself to frenzied tea leaves reading. … For Harris, it was a natural issue to speak up on for several reasons, according to one of the people familiar with her thinking and granted anonymity to speak freely. First, she's coming at this as a lifelong Californian who came up in law enforcement and has made the rule of law a driving theme of her career. She also empathizes with the protesters, after growing up steeped in the civil rights protests of her childhood and campus anti-apartheid movement of the 1980s.' Trump's DOJ Indicted a Democratic Congresswoman. The Case Could Fall Apart. by Ankush Khardori for POLITICO: 'The decision to proceed with an indictment following the initial charges against the New Jersey Democrat comes at a politically volatile moment — following President Donald Trump's decision to deploy the National Guard and the Marines in response to protests in Los Angeles, and in the midst of ongoing wrangling over the scope and legality of the administration's deportation effort. In recent weeks, that effort has generated heartrending images from courthouse arrests and more admissions of mistaken deportations from the Justice Department. Meanwhile, the administration is moving to deport hundreds of thousands of people who entered the country legally under the last administration.' Phil Murphy Skated to the NJ Governor's Mansion. Mikie Sherrill Might Not Have it So Easy. by Matt Friedman and Madison Fernandez for POLITICO: 'Rep. Mikie Sherrill was the vanguard of the anti-Trump backlash in 2018. Just months after the political unknown declared her Democratic candidacy for Congress and began raising money at a fast clip, the 24-year Republican incumbent bowed out rather than face the first competitive general election of his career. Sherrill easily won what had long been a safe Republican district in a blue wave election that flipped the House. Now, Sherrill stands as Democrats' bulwark against a red tide after winning the party nomination for New Jersey governor Tuesday night.' Number of the Week More on that here. MUST READS Doctors Report the First Pregnancy Using a New AI Procedure by Alice Park for Time Magazine: 'Doctors at Columbia University Fertility Center have reported what they are calling the first pregnancy using a new AI system, in a couple that had been trying to start a family for nearly two decades. The pregnancy was possible due to an advance developed by the Columbia team, led by Dr. Zev Williams, director of the center, to address azoospermia, or a lack of detectable sperm in the ejaculate. Male factors account for about 40 percent of infertility in the U.S., and azoospermia is responsible for about 10 percent of those cases. Until recently, there was little doctors could do to address the lack of sperm needed to fertilize an egg, other than using donor sperm.' Domestic Abusers Could Have Easier Path to Getting Gun Rights Back Under Trump Proposal by Jennifer Gerson for The 19th: 'The Trump administration is proposing a change to how people convicted of crimes can have their gun rights restored, raising concerns over what this means for victims of domestic violence. The Democratic Women's Caucus and the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Robert Hinchman, senior counsel at the Department of Justice (DOJ), criticizing an interim final rule that would move the responsibility for determining if someone gets their gun rights back from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to the Office of the Attorney General. While the ATF is part of the DOJ, the letter says the proposal would create 'an apparent lack of an objective, holistic process for making' these decisions.' Senate Democrats File Bill to Prevent Ban on Transgender Military Service by Luis Martinez for ABC News: 'The 'Fit to Serve Act' would prohibit the Defense Department from banning transgender service members from serving in the military. If passed, the law would prevent the DOD from denying access to healthcare on the basis of gender identity, and it would also prohibit the military from forcing service members to serve in their sex assigned at birth. It would also make it illegal for the military to discriminate against service members on the basis of gender identity.' QUOTE OF THE WEEK Read more here. on the move Fortune journalist Emma Hinchliffe was promoted to editor of the Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter at the publication, leading editorial for the 28-year-old franchise. Martina McLennan is now director of policy communications for economic and health policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center. She previously was communications director for Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.). (h/t POLITICO Influence) Cara Duckworth is now SVP of comms at USTelecom – The Broadband Association. She previously was chief corporate comms officer at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. (h/t POLITICO Playbook)
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democrats introduce bill that aims to protect reproductive health data
Three Democratic members of Congress are introducing a bill to limit companies' ability to hoover up data about people's reproductive health – a measure, they say, that is necessary to protect women from persecution in the post-Roe v Wade era. Representative of California, Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon on Wednesday will file the My Body, My Data Act in both the US House and Senate. The bill aims to block companies from collecting, using, retaining or disclosing information about someone's reproductive health unless that data is essential to providing a requested service. This provision would apply to information about pregnancy, menstruation, abortion, contraception and other matters relating to reproductive health. 'Young people live our lives online, right? That includes tracking our periods, but it also includes our phones tracking our location and using Google to think about your medical care or how to obtain an abortion for yourself or a friend, or ordering abortion pills online, or using an Uber to travel to an abortion clinic,' Jacobs said. 'All of those things are tracked online, and none of those are protected right now.' Law enforcement officials have already attempted to use people's data trails to identify abortion seekers. In 2022, the year that the US supreme court overturned Roe, Nebraska brought a series of felony and misdemeanor charges against a teenager and her mother in connection to the teen's abortion. The charges relied on Facebook chats, which the social media giant had turned over. (Both the teenager and her mother pleaded guilty and were sentenced to time behind bars .) In 2023, anti-abortion activists used cellphone location information to send anti-abortion messages to people who had visited some Planned Parenthood clinics. And in May, a Texas police officer searched tens of automatic license plate reader cameras, including in states that permit abortion, for a woman who officials suspected of self-managing an abortion. The post-Roe landscape is also creating more opportunities for online surveillance. In recent years, orders for abortion pills online have spiked, as tens of thousands more Americans have used online services to obtain pills to 'self-manage' their own abortions. A number of women have also faced criminal charges over miscarriages, leading abortion rights advocates to worry that women who Google phrases like 'how to get an abortion' and then miscarry could find themselves in law enforcement's crosshairs. 'It doesn't deal with everything in terms of data brokers, but it does put women in a much stronger position to protect their rights,' Wyden said of the My Body, My Data Act. 'Reproductive rights are the ultimate privacy priority, because the fundamental right of a woman to control her own body and her own healthcare is as private as it gets.' An earlier version of the bill was introduced in 2023. Given that Republicans control Congress, the bill is not likely to pass. 'I have many Republican colleagues who say they care about data privacy. We work together on data privacy in every other area, but when it comes to anything abortion-related, they refuse to do it,' Jacobs said. 'This is also the third oldest Congress in history, and I'll be honest, many of my colleagues don't understand how period tracking apps or website searches or location data even work.' Jacobs says she uses a period tracker run by a company based in Europe that is subject to the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation, a set of strict regulations that governs how businesses obtain and handle people's online data. While the US has no similar regulations on the federal level, Washington state in 2023 became the first in the country to create a state version of the My Health, My Data Act. That law covers health data that is not otherwise protected by the US Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (Hipaa) – including information about reproductive healthcare services – and requires companies to give their customers more privacy disclosures and seek their authorization before selling their data. It also gives Washington residents the ability to demand those companies delete their personal information. Jacobs advises people to use apps based in states with some degree of protection for reproductive health data. She added: 'If you live in a state that is really criminalizing abortion and going after people, you should be careful about what you put online.'
