Such bans will make it illegal for mass to seek an abortion , leaving many afraid that their private wellness data , such as that stored on period trailing apps , could be used against them .
With Roe overthrow , concern are rife that companies behind point tracking apps could be push to reach drug user data over to the confidence , potentially indicating whether a exploiter had or was considering an abortion . In light of this , stacks of mass on the internet are advising against period tracking apps , recommend that users edit both the apps and their information .
What data could be shared?
point tracking apps are used by 10 of millions worldwide to record menstrual cycles . They store personal wellness data , which can be used to let on when a period bug out and stopped , foreshadow future periods , and point a potential gestation . This information could then be sold to a third party , or be subpoenaed , and used as evidence that a user had or considered an miscarriage , hence the calls to delete .
Some apps may also gather up location data , which could be used as an identifier .
“ When that slight blue-blooded pane travel from that theater to that office , you have a pretty undecomposed melodic theme of who that is , ” India McKinney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation toldNew Scientist .
Will period tracking apps share data?
This count on the individual app ’s terms and atmospheric condition . Some claim to strip data of distinguish item – such as name or computer address – before sell or sharing , but this does n’t necessarily stretch to IP addresses , which can indicate the specific equipment used .
When it come up to share data with jurisprudence enforcement , there is n’t currently a precedent for how information from period trailing apps could be used in a criminal face . However , it ’s not unusual for apps to cooperate with investigation , particularly in cases against minor exploitation .
“ It ’s unlikely that [ period tracking ] data will be shared , ” Eva Blum - Dumontet , a technical school insurance researcher , toldBusiness Insider .
“ But not impossible , ” she bring , not want to give users a “ put on sense of surety ” .
Should you delete your period tracking app?
Unfortunately , there is n’t a clear - cut solvent to that question – it will depend on what commonwealth you ’re in and what their police are . And at last , whether the risk of logging your periods in an app is worth the convenience .
For McKinney , it is . She recommends select apps carefully and not allow them to use your location information , consort toNew Scientist .
But some expert are more cautious .
" If I populate in a state where abortion was actively being criminalized , I would not use a period tracker — that ’s for sure , " Andrea Ford , a inquiry lad at the University of Edinburgh , toldNPR .
" If you require to be dependable , use a paper calendar . "
These sentiments were ring by Jackie Singh , former senior cybersecurity staffer on the Biden presidential campaign , who toldMashable : “ I would caution people who flow to stop using any eccentric of app to track their menstrual health if they have any expectation of having a presence in state which are expected to ban miscarriage .
However , we apparently can not forestall how next statute law will bear upon us , so the safest affair is to stop digital trailing . "
What to look out for on your period tracking app
For those want to continue using a period of time tracking app , there are some things to check for when opt an app . Namely , its privacy policy , account with data share-out , and how it stores your datum .
You should face for apps that hive away data locally , Evan Greer , theater director of the digital rights advocacy radical Fight for the Future , toldNPR . Data stack away in the swarm is possess by the society , so is much more easily access by constabulary than topically - stored data , which is owned by the drug user .
According to NPR , non - profit model may offer better surety , as may paid apps , which do n’t demand to collect advertizing data point and so may be less probable to track user .
As for which apps are best , several have made announcements in the viewing of the overturning of Roe .
Clue , a Berlin - based society , has vowed to protect the personal data of American users .
“ We understand that many of our American user are worried that their tracked data could be used against them by US prosecuting attorney . It is important to sympathize that European law protect our biotic community ’s sensitive health data , ” it said in astatement .
“ Clue is obligated under the human beings ’s strictest data privacy jurisprudence , the European GDPR , to apply special protections to such wellness data point . ”
Two other apps , Flo andNatural Cycles , have promised an “ anonymous mode ” , to protect substance abuser ' personal datum .
