"Eva," you ask, "What does good, practical digital privacy advice for abortion-seekers look like if I'm not supposed to tell them to download Tails?"

It looks like this: https://digitaldefensefund.org/ddf-guides/abortion-privacy

Guide to Abortion Privacy — Digital Defense Fund

Digital Defense Fund

@evacide How to scream from the rooftop "I have never studied human behavior," without saying a darn thing.

Like, the POINT of a threat model, is to grok that NOT everything needs Tails—and that stupid-simple opsec goes a LONG way!!!

@ninavizz @evacide Tails IS stupid simple SecOps. It covers multiple threat types under a single system that you would normally have to address independently. It's not even difficult to use. Grab a USB, write an image, reboot while holding a key, select the right thing in the menu and voila. It even had a Windows XP interface option if you aren't familiar with Linux.

What more could you want? It's literally designed for this type of scenario.

@areyouevenreal @ninavizz @evacide Sorry, do you really expect an ordinary abortion-seeker to do all that for something as basic as privacy? Like sure, people like you and me can actually take the time to understand Tails and how to use it. But seriously. Most abortion-seekers will not do this.
@shreyan @ninavizz @evacide You're trying to escape government surveillance here. Given that's your aim this method is shockingly simple. It's almost trivial to anyone with a reasonable understanding of computers. I used to do stuff like this almost every day.

@areyouevenreal @ninavizz @evacide

Not everyone has a "reasonable understanding of computers", and it's somewhat arrogant (not sure if that's the word I was looking for) to require them to.

@shreyan @areyouevenreal @ninavizz @evacide so much ^

I _am_ an expert computer user and "just install tails" advice screams techbro incoherence.

90% of the target for that suggestion would respond with: what's an image? my phone doesn't have USB? how do I hold a key while rebooting my iPhone?

the linked article is good advice. don't let "better than good, but also masturbatory privacy geekery" be the enemy of "good"

@woodlandsquid @shreyan @ninavizz @evacide I have made separate recommendations for people who only have iPhone or Android phones. I think this is a minority of people though.

I can't see in any way recommending Tails is incoherent unless you're talking to the technologically illiterate. The tech illiterate wouldn't follow the guide either though, because I doubt they are going to use a VPB correctly either. Onion Browser is better in this regard as it's just one app and doesn't keep history.

@areyouevenreal It's TMI, is the point. My god, have you NEVER had an existential, highly emotional crisis that has you puking multiple times a day, out of your mind on hormones, and could mean losing your family AND your partner... but ohey, lets all go do all this strange new technology stuff that I don't understand the point of, too?

@woodlandsquid @shreyan @evacide

@ninavizz
Then why make technological recommendations at all?
Surly the best advice is leave the country or the state to somewhere that supports abortions and then worry about it.
That would be my first advice to someone in this situation.
Cause if use Tor or use Tails is too much, then following everything in that article to the letter is also TMI.
You can presumably get to another state on a bus or car. (Am not American so feel free to correct me)
@woodlandsquid @shreyan @evacide

@areyouevenreal Those cost money and are often not an option—you've clearly never had an abortion. You're not getting it. Tails is for people with a different threat model. The threat model is everything. Brad's sister is not Chelsea Manning.

@woodlandsquid @shreyan @evacide

@ninavizz @woodlandsquid @shreyan @evacide I thought abortions cost significant amounts of money?

@areyouevenreal @ninavizz @woodlandsquid @evacide

anywhere between $75 and $2500

and yes, people often do not have the resources to get an abortion, thanks to both the cost and hostile laws (and other factors)

@shreyan @ninavizz @woodlandsquid @evacide In that situation I don't think there's anything you can do. Like following that advice isn't going to help you get an abortion if you can't afford one or can't move to where you can get one. Wether you follow that advice or follow my advice isn't going to make any difference in that situation from my understanding.
@areyouevenreal Anyhow, you are mansplaining to women how we are or are not on the mark with our security recommendations to other women in crisis. Please just stop. I'm going to stop responding, at this point. @shreyan @woodlandsquid @evacide

@ninavizz @areyouevenreal @woodlandsquid @evacide

I'm no woman, but some things are very painfully obvious to anyone sensible