What are period trackers?

A period tracker is an example of femtech, technology-enabled, consumer-centric innovations designed for women, or more specifically, for cis women's healthcare. The term “femtech” was first used in 2016 by entrepreneur Ida Tin, as a way to get people talking about the companies and tech dedicated to women's health and research.

As an industry, femtech incorporates a broad range of med-tech apps focusing on maternal health, fertility, menopause, contraception, and of course, menstruation. A period tracker is exactly what you think it is...an application designed to track your menstrual cycle.

Tin is the founder of Clue, one of the world's first period tracker apps, which was designed to allow women to “better understand their cycles and bodies”. But one of the other aims of Clue was to collect data from users that would be used to help push female health science forward.

But as it turns out, scientists aren't the only ones interested in your period tracker data which is why women are choosing to delete period tracking apps in their droves.

What data do period trackers record?

The privacy-advocating browser Mozilla recently analyzed 25 of the top reproductive health apps (including but not limited to period trackers). The data collected ranges from app to app, but here's a rundown of what that generally includes:

• Phone numbers, emails, addresses, and gender
• Device ID, advertising ID, and IP address
• Weight and body temperature
• Cycle length and date of last period
• Ovulation windows
• Sexual activity
• Birth control methods
• Period due dates, pregnancy due date
• Cravings, mood, energy levels
• Number of pregnancies, miscarriages, or stillbirths
• Doctor's appointments
• Pregnancy symptoms

Some apps will also ask users to provide information on their work experience, education, and hobbies. Then there is the data that can also be collected via social media platforms. That's a lot of data.

Who is looking at your period tracker data?

Period tracker data can be sold to third parties such as data brokers and used to target app users with personalized ads or anti-abortion campaigns. The Mozilla report also found that a majority of the femtech apps shared data for research purposes, and in some cases, with employers!

Worryingly, this is nothing new.

In 2019, the pregnancy and period tracking app, Ovia Health came under fire for sharing data with users' employers. Ovia offered a paid program to employers so that they could provide employees with a special version of the app as a work benefit. The catch was that the employers also got access to the data collected.

Even though the data was in a de-identified and aggregated form, there were still concerns that the highly sensitive information could be used to increase or decrease health coverage, or used to make business decisions. Plus, it has been shown that re-identifying anonymized data isn't that hard to do.

Tracking a period or pregnancy is information that no one else needs to know— unless you specifically choose to share it. And when given the choice, we're pretty sure few would choose to share that information with strangers, advertisers, or their boss.

Not ready to delete your period tracker yet? Keep reading.

Period tracker privacy policies

Another issue flagged up by the Mozilla report was that the majority of these apps have hidden or vaguely worded privacy policies making it unclear as to how data is collected, used, stored, or shared.

It makes a significant difference if sensitive data is stored remotely or locally on the user's device. If it's remote, then there is a potential risk of the data being leaked through a data breach.

There have also been instances where period trackers have completely disregarded their own privacy policies.

Popular femtech app, Flo faced a fine from the Federal Trade Commission when it was discovered they had leaked sensitive data to companies like Facebook and Google.

Users' personal information was sold to ad companies that targeted app users with advertisements based on where they were in their cycle. Flo's privacy policy had at the time boasted the phrase, “your body, your data” giving users a false sense of security.

Period tracking data is not protected by patient privacy laws

Another reason to delete period tracking apps is that the data collected is not covered under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

The majority of femtech apps are not billed as a medical service, and even though the data collected is about your body and sexual, or reproductive health, it's not considered “health data” as defined by law.

As such, period tracker data is not covered by federal patient privacy law. This means period tracker apps are free to use, share and monetize a person's data without regard to their right to privacy.

Period tracker privacy post-Roe vs Wade

Beyond the general privacy issues of sharing data with third-party advertisers, there is now an even greater risk in using period trackers, at least for those in the US.

The overturning of Roe vs Wade suddenly put period trackers in the hot seat.

Should a woman living in a state where abortion is banned ever need or choose to have an abortion, their period tracker data could be handed over to the authorities and used to prosecute them, those who provide the service, and anyone who supported them.

If you think this all seems a bit too farfetched, then think again...

Big Tech companies are already handing over private data to authorities.

Facebook has recently come under fire for handing over more than 300 MB of data, including private chat history, to police in Nebraska investigating an illegal abortion.

Even those who experience pregnancy loss through miscarriage or stillbirth could have data about their fertility or missed periods used against them as circumstantial evidence of abortion.

Unfortunately, women being prosecuted for pregnancy loss is not a new thing, and it is feared that it will only increase in a post-Roe vs Wade world.

Should you delete your period tracker?

Whether you choose to delete period tracking apps or not depends on what you're concerned about when it comes to online privacy. If you're annoyed at adverts targeting you when you're at your most vulnerable, then choosing a period tracker with a robust privacy policy could be enough to keep you happy.

If you live in a state where abortion is illegal, then it's understandable that you may be more inclined to delete your period tracker.

It may seem like a quick and easy solution, but the truth is, any data previously entered and gathered will continue to live on the app's product servers and with whoever or whatever business they've shared it with.

Plus, there are so many other data sources that track your every move, both online and physically. The data on your period tracker is a tiny drop in the data ocean.

For example, Google collects more data on you than any other tech company.

The 39 data points it collects include location details, browser history, activity on third-party websites, and emails. Any of that data could be handed over to authorities.

The truth is period trackers are just one of the so-called “data buffets” taking an all-you-can-collect-and-share approach to your personal data.

So, if the decision to delete your period tracker isn't the answer, what is?

How to better protect your data and privacy

Of course, the only true way to completely safeguard your data is to never disclose it, but that's not the most practical response.

Period tracking apps have helped thousands of women not only by tracking their cycles and planning their lifestyles but exposing underlying health issues such as fibroids, hormonal imbalances, PCOS, and endometriosis.

There are clearly huge benefits to using FemTech, but they shouldn't have to come at the cost of privacy.

Here are a few things you can do to ensure your data stays as safe as possible when using a period tracker.

• Choose a period tracker that has a clear and robust privacy policy. Check out Mozilla's *Privacy Not Included buyer's guide for reproductive health apps and devices to find which they recommend, and the ones they don't.
• Turn off location services on Apple or Android devices, and other apps (not just your period tracker).
• Switch email inboxes. There are plenty of privacy-focused Gmail alternatives out there.
• Choose a chat, messenger service, or email service that has end-to-end encryption.
• For general online privacy, using a VPN can help mask your IP address while using privacy-focused browsers such as Brave or TOR can help reduce tracking.
• Use email aliases to sign up for apps. Privacy-focused email service providers such as Proton Mail can allow users to create multiple alias email addresses that keep their real email address separate.

Choosing to delete period tracking apps you've downloaded may greatly improve your privacy, not just online but “in real life”. Of course, if the only thing you do is delete your period tracker and don't also make use of additional privacy tools then it will have little effect. Privacy is an all-or-nothing sort of affair.

Whatever privacy tools you choose to adopt, make sure they have a zero logs policy. And even if they say that they do, double-check! Even VPNs that advertise themselves as having strict no-logging do still collect and store some data. Read the small print of the privacy policies. Never just take their word for it.

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