cycle apps
What users should know about data protection
Anyone who documents their menstrual cycle with an app should familiarize themselves with the data protection provisions of the application.
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Ever since abortion became a potentially criminal offense in the US, cycle tracking apps have been in the spotlight. Users need to know that.
At the end of June, the US Supreme Court overturned the landmark decision “Roe v. Wade” and with it the right to an abortion. Concern quickly spread that investigators could use cycle apps to track and track abortions in the future. And since then, one question has also come to the fore in Europe: How do providers of apps that women use to document their menstrual cycles use their users’ data?
An analysis by the Mozilla Foundation brings light into the darkness and examines the data security of 20 apps and five wearables. Users who digitally document their menstrual periods should know this.
In its study, the Mozilla Foundation attested that only seven of the 25 trackers analyzed correctly handled their users’ data. These include the Apple Watch, Google’s Fitbit, Garmin’s fitness tracker and the two “Natural Cycles” apps (Android/iOS) and “Euki” (Android/iOS). The latter comes from the non-profit organization “Women Help Women”, which campaigns for reproductive freedom and thus access to safe abortions.
Criticism of the most popular cycle app
According to the study, however, all other trackers show that the data of users is shared with third parties or sold to them. The most popular of the cycle apps “Flo” (Android/iOS). In 2019, she was already the focus of data protectionists because she misled her users and shared personal data with Facebook, as the “Wall Street Journal” reported at the time.
Although the creators of “Flo” claim to have taken care of the problem and only pass on their users’ data anonymously, the Mozilla Foundation expresses its doubts about the practical implementation. At the end of June, “Flo” reacted again and announced an “anonymous mode”.to counter the criticism – and the decision of the US Supreme Court – so far, however, the announcement has remained the same.
Data protection experts warn against these apps
The Mozilla Foundation expresses slight concerns about data security with the apps “Clue Period & Cycle Tracker”, “Ovia Pregnancy”, “Pregnancy+”, “Babycenter”, “Preglife Pregnancy App”, “Period Tracker” and “My Calendar Period Tracker”. . What they all have in common is that personal data such as name, age, location, as well as information about sexual activity and general health data can end up in the hands of third parties. It is also cold consolation that some app makers state that they only pass on the data anonymously, because: The process of anonymization can be turned around and the transmitted data will be clearly identifiable.
The study expresses clearer criticism of the apps “WebMD Pregnancy”, “Ovia Fertility”, “The Bump Pregnancy Tracker & Baby App”, “What to Expect Pregnancy Tracker & Baby App”, “Pregnancy & Due Date Tracker”. They are labeled “very creepy” by the Mozilla Foundation.
The privacy advocates put five other apps in an even worse category, namely as “super creepy”. Accordingly, users should keep their hands off these apps if they value their personal and health data: “Glow Nature & Glow Baby”, “Maya Period, Fertility, Ovulation & Pregnancy”, “Period Calendar, Period Tracker”, “Glow & Eve by Glow” and “Sprout Pregnancy” the Mozilla Foundation sees “red flags” and advises against their use.