Big Tech has a responsibility to ensure that anti-abortion disinformation isn’t allowed to flourish, and factually accurate information about abortion is easily accessible to those searching for it. And, they’re failing.

Websites and social media are crucial tools for people seeking information about abortion, and valuable platforms for reproductive justice activists to share their message. In a post-Dobbs world, they are especially valuable resources for people living in states that where abortion is banned.

Reproaction is tackling two primary concerns:

1. The suppression of accurate abortion information.
2. The simultaneous proliferation of anti-abortion disinformation online.

Accurate Abortion Content Is Suppressed

At Reproaction, we have directly experienced the suppression of quality, accurate abortion information by Big Tech.

We regularly use social media to share resources on self-managed abortion with pills. In the past, Facebook has removed these posts, initially claiming that they were in violation of the platform’s community standards—though these standards don’t seem to apply to posts about so-called “abortion pill reversal,” an unproven and unethical invention of anti-abortion activists that amounts to medical experimentation.

This isn’t a one-off. We surveyed a range of reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations on the struggles they were experiencing online. 66.7 percent of respondents said they were very concerned about content suppression post-Dobbs, and many reported having posts removed, hidden or labelled as sensitive content. Troublingly, 38 percent of survey respondents indicated social media companies said their posts were removed because “this site bans the sale or use of unsafe substances.” This makes it much more difficult to share information about abortion pills—which have been overwhelmingly proven safe and effective.

In the numerous convenings we’ve led and supported across the reproductive rights, health and justice sector, we’ve heard resoundingly that content suppression interferes with the ability to share accurate information with patients and advocates.

Anti-Abortion Disinformation

Abortion opponents are using the internet and social media to amplify their views and sow dangerous disinformation about abortion.

Google has raked in more than $10 million in ads tied to search terms like “abortion pill” or “abortion provider” that instead direct people to anti-abortion fake clinics, while abortion providers struggle to get ad placement.

Social media platforms have hidden abortion-related hashtags and removed posts sharing abortion information that are not in violation of their terms of service. Meanwhile, posts that push disinformation about abortion remain up, even after being reported to content moderation teams.

The result of these practices is that people seeking information about abortion have to work hard to find it, when time may not be on their side. Activists and organizations must dedicate time and resources to combatting disinformation, rather than fighting for abortion access.

Our Participation in the Repro Uncensored Campaign

Reproaction, in partnership with organizations such as Women on Web and Women First Digital, has introduced four demands to Big Tech:

1. Reform Google’s screening criteria for health content to promote medically accurate information about abortion and digital abortion providers. This reform will also clamp down on fake clinics and anti-abortion websites.
2. Push for more nuanced Google ads policies that certify digital abortion providers worldwide and recognize that safe and high-quality abortion care does not exclusively take place in a hospital, clinic or physician’s office.
3. Hold social media platforms accountable for flagging misinformation and disinformation about abortion care, much like they were pushed to do in response to Covid-19 and US election fraud disinformation.
4. Provide transparency around social media content moderation policies

Learn more about Repro Uncensored.