People searching for abortion online must wade through misinformation

TECHNOLOGY

People searching for abortion online must wade through misinformation

Abortion misinformation might only get worse, researchers warn

By Rachel Lerman
July 4, 2022 at 6:00 a.m. EDT

False and misleading information about abortion is spreading online, and researchers fear it will only get worse in the wake of the Supreme Court decision on Dobbs.

On TikTok, videos suggesting that people use herbs to self-manage an abortion have racked up thousands of views. Antiabortion activists have shared false information on Twitter about the supposed dangers of abortion. And the New York attorney general sent a letter to Google last week urging the company to point abortion seekers on Google Maps to valid health-care offices that offer the treatment, rather than to “crisis pregnancy centers,” which try to dissuade people from getting abortions.

Disinformation researchers, as well as reproductive rights advocates, are concerned that what abortion-seekers find online can sometimes leave them even more confused and point them toward options that may be misleading or even dangerous.

[With Roe over, some fear rollback of LGBTQ and other rights]

“People always want to help themselves, and in this era of connectivity, we trust what we see,” said Danielle Citron, a law professor at the University of Virginia who researches law and technology. Citron is worried that abortion misinformation and intentional disinformation will only increase now.

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[‘Bring rifles’: Extremist groups call for violence over abortion ruling]

Gerrit De Vynck contributed to this report.

By Rachel Lerman
Rachel Lerman covers breaking news in technology for The Washington Post. Twitter https://twitter.com/rachelerman