HMN 2025: How Popular period-tracking apps can maintain years of private knowledge—new NZ analysis finds combined consciousness of threat

Period-tracking apps are fashionable digital instruments for a spread of menstrual, reproductive and normal well being functions. But the best way these apps gather and use knowledge entails threat.

Many apps encourage customers to log info nicely past their menstrual cycle, together with sexual exercise, medicines, sleep high quality, train, social exercise and perimenopause signs. As nicely as this logged knowledge, apps usually gather location and different personally identifiable info.

Period monitoring apps could pose a very excessive threat in locations where abortion is illegitimate as a result of person knowledge could also be accessed by regulation enforcement on request.

Our new research examines how conscious app customers in Aotearoa New Zealand are of those dangers. We discovered a spread of ranges of understanding and views on threat, from untroubled to involved and deeply nervous concerning the implications of digital monitoring for reproductive rights.

Privacy, knowledge and threat

The first period-tracking app was released in 2013. Since then, hundreds of such apps have been created, with collectively hundreds of millions of downloads worldwide.

A recent analysis discovered app downloads are significantly prevalent in North America, Europe, Australia and Aotearoa. The similar study discovered three apps—Flo, Clue and Period Tracker—make up nearly all of downloads.

Some interval apps can hyperlink to and import info from different apps and wearables. For instance, Clue can link to and import information from the Oura smart ring and Apple Health, each of which collect private well being metrics. Flo can equally import info from other health apps.

A recent analysis of interval app privateness insurance policies discovered they usually gather a spread of personally identifiable info.

Personal well being knowledge flows to 3rd events

Some members in our analysis have used an app for a decade or longer. This means the app holds a complete database of years of intimate well being knowledge and different private info, together with some which they might not have chosen to supply.

This knowledge can be utilized by a spread of third events in business, analysis or different functions, typically with out app customers’ specific information or consent. One study discovered many interval apps exported extra knowledge than was declared in privateness insurance policies, together with to 3rd events.

Another study reported that apps modified privateness insurance policies with out acquiring person consent. Apps may also infer sensitive information not explicitly logged by customers by combining knowledge.

In 2021, Flo reached a settlement with the US Federal Trade Commission on costs over its sharing of person knowledge with advertising and marketing and analytics firms with out person consent.

App privacy policies often state that person knowledge could also be accessed by regulation enforcement on request, which is a serious concern in locations where abortion is illegitimate. Users could explicitly log the start and end of pregnancies, however being pregnant can be inferred or predicted utilizing different knowledge. In some circumstances, interval app knowledge could subsequently reveal a person’s miscarriage or abortion.

Making sense of the chance in New Zealand

Our exploration of person attitudes concerning the threat of period-tracking apps has revealed that about half of members had been unconcerned about their knowledge. Some imagined optimistic makes use of for his or her knowledge, equivalent to bettering the app or contributing to reproductive healthcare analysis. These potential uses are often highlighted by period-tracking apps in advertising and marketing supplies.

Other members had been involved about their knowledge. Some had threat minimization methods, together with limiting what info they logged. Concerned members had been usually resigned to uncontrolled makes use of of their knowledge.

One mentioned, “[there’s] no such factor as personal knowledge nowadays.”

Another thought that “everybody that does something on-line […] is sort of accepting the truth that your knowledge is being probably accessed and utilized by third events. It’s simply sort of where it’s now.”

About a 3rd of members in our study contextualized their issues with respect to reproductive rights and abortion entry, particularly since the 2022 overturn of Roe v Wade in the US.

Others puzzled if what occurred within the US might occur in New Zealand. One participant referenced ideas equivalent to rangatiratanga and mana motuhake (self dedication) when eager about interval app knowledge. She mentioned,

“I fear concerning the politics that occur abroad coming right here to Aotearoa […] realizing that I haven’t got full {control} or rangatiratanga over the info I present?. ?I fear for all customers about what this info can be utilized for in future, as a lot as we wish to say ‘that is New Zealand, that may by no means occur right here,” we don’t know.”

With gender and reproductive rights in danger all over the world, such issues are cheap and justified.

Study members used period-tracking apps for various causes, together with to plan for intervals, to trace ache and talk it to medical doctors, to assist get pregnant, and to find out about their our bodies. Some members informed us that utilizing interval apps was empowering. Some perceived interval apps as dangerous, with limits to how they’ll mitigate the chance.

Menstruators should not need to commerce knowledge privateness and safety as a way to entry the advantages of interval-tracking apps. Legislators and coverage makers ought to perceive the advantages and dangers and guarantee robust knowledge protections are in place.

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