Take action to protect gender-affirming and reproductive healthcare data!

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Our personal electronic data is a treasure trove of information about us. Some companies collect and use data, like what we buy and where we go, to infer information about our healthcare choices – like if we're seeking out gender-affirming or reproductive healthcare. Broadly speaking, this legislation would prohibit certain entities from collecting this type of data without explicit consent and would limit how the data can be used and shared.

Contact your Senators and Representatives and urge them to SUPPORT H 7357 and S 2992 by using this form. Both bills have been held for further study, and your message could help get the bills up for a vote in committee. Read more about the bill on this webpage, or just edit the email form!

Why do we need this bill?
Even though these specific types of healthcare are legal in Rhode Island, we need to take proactive action to ensure our rights are protected, and that this very personal data isn't being weaponized in the years to come.

What protections does this bill create?
Reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare data could only be used for a few limited purposes:

Providing the services we request
Complying with legal obligations
Protecting public health and safety
Preventing fraud, investigating illegal activity, or responding to cybersecurity attacks

The bill requires clear, affirmative, specific, and unambiguous consent to both the collection and the sale of your data – not language buried in broad terms of service.

What businesses would have to change their practices?
The bill is targeted, and would only apply to entities, big or small businesses or organizations, that do ALL three of the following:

Provide reproductive or gender-affirming healthcare services. For example, a period tracking app, or a store that sells pre-natal vitamins.
Collect reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare data from individuals in providing those services. In our examples, a period tracking app can collect vital statistics about users, and brick and mortar stores can track a person's purchase history.
Direct the collection and use of that data. A period tracking app is using data to calculate a person's next period, but without this bill's protections could also sell that information to other entities.

This does not include most day-to-day purchases. If you buy multivitamins, for example, that data would not fall under the required protections of this bill, because an entity would not be able to infer reproductive or gender-affirming health care decisions from that information.

Lastly, this bill will also prevent geofencing. This is when a company puts a virtual boundary around a physical location – like a Planned Parenthood clinic – and can track when someone's smart phone travels in or outside of the boundary, and could be used to infer if someone is seeking specific types of health care.

The recipient:

Your State Senator and Representative(s)

The message:

What protections does this bill create?
Reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare data could only be used for a few limited purposes:

Providing the services we request
Complying with legal obligations
Protecting public health and safety
Preventing fraud, investigating illegal activity, or responding to cybersecurity attacks

The bill requires clear, affirmative, specific, and unambiguous consent to both the collection and the sale of your data – not language buried in broad terms of service.

What businesses would have to change their practices?
The bill is targeted, and would only apply to entities, big or small businesses or organizations, that do ALL three of the following:

Provide reproductive or gender-affirming healthcare services. For example, a period tracking app, or a store that sells pre-natal vitamins.
Collect reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare data from individuals in providing those services. In our examples, a period tracking app can collect vital statistics about users, and brick and mortar stores can track a person's purchase history.
Direct the collection and use of that data. A period tracking app is using data to calculate a person's next period, but without this bill's protections could also sell that information to other entities.

The recipient:

Your State Senator and Representative(s)

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Your Message

Subject Please support H 7357 and S 2992 to protect data privacy

Please support H 7357 and S 2992. Every day, we generate vast amounts of electronic data, like what we buy and where we go. Some companies collect and analyze this data to infer private activities, including whether someone is visiting a facility that provides reproductive or gender-affirming healthcare services.

This legislation will protect the privacy of Rhode Islanders who are seeking those very personal healthcare services by requiring entities to receive explicit consent before collecting, using, or sharing this data.

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Thank you very much for your time and your consideration.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]

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Take action to protect gender-affirming and reproductive healthcare data!

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