Community building can be done with technology for historically marginalized groups. Nearly a third of all women in the US use apps to track their periods, while the LGBTQ+ community uses apps to meet like-minded people, and activists campaigning via democratic means use social media and messaging apps to get attention for petitions.
The rights are being threatened in the US. During the Black Lives Matters protests in the United States, the police forced activists to switch to escort apps to avoid being targeted. In 2020, popular dating apps were accused of sharing sensitive data such as gps location and sexual orientation with at least 135 third-party entities with potential dangerous implications for the LGBTQIA+ community. During the moments after the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of abortion rights, people called for the deletion of period- tracking apps.
The lack of privacy protections in the US has brought it to the forefront of discussion. It shows how law enforcement officials can get incriminating data. The data has the potential to be used as evidence in states where abortion is not legal. In Nebraska, a teenager and her mother are facing criminal charges for allegedly inducing an abortion after Facebook released their private messages.
The people who come from minority groups are the ones who are most affected by a right being minimized. The Supreme Court's decision doesn't mean that the only thing in danger is a woman's physical body. It hurts women, people of color, people with low incomes, and more. The willingness of the court to overturn precedent could suggest other rights of minorities are at risk.
The US and EU have different approaches to data protection. One of the toughest privacy and security laws in the world was enacted by the European Union in the last year. It makes it easier for people to get information about them and limits what organizations can do with it. Your data is safe.
With fewer data privacy laws in the US, EU-based companies will see an increase in users from the US.
When considering joining an app, most people wouldn't have heard of the termGDPR, but it will be the first thing that comes to mind. There is no federal privacy law in the US. President Biden's office will give a guide to protect personal data on mobile apps, but this is not enough.
The US is operating in a blurred and dangerous middle ground, and until the country has clear guidelines and protections, minorities and those in marginalized communities are going to feel safer using EU-based apps.
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