“ It’s just easy to track your menstrual cycle with it, that’s why I use it.” “Who has time to track your menstrual cycle on your own, here you can just select some options and it does the job for you” “ I’m sexually active, and the app helps me and my partner track my cycle so as to avoid any surprises later on”.
These were some of the reasons I came across why women are increasingly using period tracking apps for their menstrual cycles. However, what many fail to know is the data they so easily put, is being viewed by many many more people behind the scenes.
Sometime in 2019, Privacy International, a UK based advocacy group, revealed a piece of startling information about some period tracking apps. The group revealed that some applications, such as MIA Fem and Maya were sharing sensitive user information with social networking sites. The report revealed that user data revolving around contraception use, monthly periods and menstruation symptoms were being shared by these apps with websites like Facebook.
This isn’t the first time mobile applications have been found guilty of sharing data with third parties. However, what is interesting is how in this digital age, all data has a monetary purpose. That includes data about your menstrual cycle as well.
Period tracking applications have gained popularity over the past few years. These applications are readily available online. Without paying anything, period tracking apps can be used by women to track not just their period, but also figure out their ovulation dates, sexual activity, symptoms of PMS and much more. However, with their rise in popularity, it is also important to see how their usage intersects with data privacy and security of users.
How Data Is Used By Period Tracking Apps
The ‘Femtech’ market as it is called, is projected to grow into a $53 billion industry by 2027. In the US alone, its market value will touch $50 billion by 2025. However, the main value of the market isn’t generated by women using the applications or services these apps offer.
The industry’s valuation is booming because of the data it has to offer. More importantly, the data it has to offer for marketers, medical companies and even pregnancy clinics.
Period Tracking Apps Are Promoting Commercialization Of Pregnancy
The term commercialization of pregnancy isn’t new. It refers to the pressure put on pregnant women to succumb to capitalistic models of beauty, well-being and childcare. However, what is interesting is how period tracking apps contribute to it as well. By keeping a track of period cycles and the sex cycle of women, these apps can generate valuable health data, which is then sold to advertisers, researchers and brands directly.
This data is extremely valuable to companies, as it is capable of influencing the buying behaviour and consumer decisions of people.
For example, if an advertiser knows a user is pregnant and is preparing to become a parent, it offers a huge opportunity to show them ads for products you know they’re on the lookout for. This means that the person will be pitched everything from baby formula, clothes to toys and even car seats. Glow Fertility, an ovulation tracker has even started offering IVF and egg freezing suggestions to its users by mining the fertility data of its app users!
How Medical Researchers Use Data From Period Tracker Apps
While you may be using a period tracker app to keep a track of your menstrual cycle, researchers and medical agencies allegedly use it as a data collection point for their studies. Medical researchers have been known to use data from period tracking apps to study women’s health concerns.
Some of these apps also claim to diagnose medical concerns for its users. The app Clue reported that the daily mood tracking of the section of the app had users reporting that they were experiencing a feeling of ‘sadness’ post the 2016 election results.
Since many users use such apps for sharing the most intimate details about their lives, these applications serve as data gold mines for medical researchers and agencies to base their studies on.
Once you get on one of these apps, there’s no end to the kind of data sharing that takes place. Women using these apps enter as much data as possible to ensure the accuracy of predictions and increase the efficiency of these apps. However, this is the same practice acts as an impediment when it comes to data privacy.
Period Apps Are Ushering In An Era of Menstrual Surveillance
The data stored by their period tracking apps are also used by employers, as a means of surveillance against its employees. Employers buy this data from period tracking apps, and then use it to monitor their employees.
For example, a Washington Post report revealed how video game company Activision Blizzard sources data from Ovia Health for this purpose. According to it, Activision Blizzard used the data from Ovia Health to find out how many of its employees are pregnant, trying to get pregnant or facing high-risk pregnancies. To make sure its employees used Ovia Health, the company went as far as to pay its employees $1 a day to use the application!
It is common knowledge that pregnant women face discrimination in the workplace. By providing such data to employers, period apps run the risk of promoting such differences against women at the workplace. The data could also be used by the company to alter its health care benefits or insurance plans issued to the employee, thus putting them at a disadvantage. By having data that can predict when a woman employee is likely to get pregnant, employers can save up on health insurance expense, of which pregnancy forms a large chunk
Privacy International revealed the extent of the information shared by period trackers. Apps were found to be sharing information on favourite sexual positions, use of contraceptives and the general mood of its users. This was then used to target customers, with specific ads. Women who are pregnant or seeking to become pregnant are likely to change their shopping habits. This is the sole main reason why data from period trackers is so important to brands.
So the next time you use a period tracker, beware of the fact that the app may be using your data for several purposes, and in some cases, even third party organizations may be privy to it. Therefore, it is essential to set your privacy controls, read the terms and conditions and use data protection software to ensure your data isn’t misused.