Experts warn of risks linked to period tracker apps
Women face 'real and frightening privacy and safety risks' when using period tracker apps, experts have warned.
Academics from the University of Cambridge said that personal information in the app can be collected and 'sold at scale'.
A new report from experts at Cambridge's Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy said that this 'poses risks and harms for users'.
Researchers said that menstrual data can provide insights into people's health and their reproductive choices.
These apps can collect information on exercise, diet, medication, sexual preferences, hormone levels and contraception use, they added.
This information can be a 'gold mine' for consumer profiling, the authors of the new report said.
Many women who download the apps do so when they are trying to get pregnant, which the authors point out leads to a dramatic shift in shopping behaviour.
'Data on who is pregnant, and who wants to be, has therefore emerged as some of the most sought-after information in digital advertising,' they said.
The point out how period tracking apps have rapidly risen in popularity, with global downloads of the three most popular apps surpassing 250 million.
'Cycle tracking apps (CTA) are a lucrative business because they provide the companies behind the apps with access to extremely valuable and fine-grained user data,' the experts wrote in their new report.
'CTA data is not only commercially valuable and shared with an inextricable net if third parties (thereby making intimate user information exploitable for targeted advertising), but it also poses severe security risks for users.'
They point out that in the wrong hands, the data collected by the apps could result in health insurance 'discrimination'; risks to job prospects or even domestic abuse.
The research team called for better governance of the 'femtech' industry, including improved data security of these apps and for them to introduce 'meaningful consent options'.
They also called for public health bodies to launch alternatives to commercial tracking apps.
'Menstrual cycle tracking apps are presented as empowering women and addressing the gender health gap,' said Dr Stefanie Felsberger, lead author of the report.
'Yet the business model behind their services rests on commercial use, selling user data and insights to third parties for profit.'
'There are real and frightening privacy and safety risks to women as a result of the commodification of the data collected by cycle tracking app companies.'
Professor Gina Neff, executive director of Cambridge's Minderoo Centre, added: 'The use of cycle tracking apps is at an all-time high.
'Women deserve better than to have their menstrual tracking data treated as consumer data, but there is a different possible future.'
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Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Period tracking app users warned of 'frightening safety risk' amid data concerns
Period tracking apps may pose a huge privacy risk to users amid concerns about companies selling the data, according to a recent report from the University of Cambridge Women who use period tracking apps have been warned over privacy fears that their data is being sold to third party companies. These cycle tracking apps are an increasingly popular way for women to understand their menstrual cycle and there have been over 250 million downloads of the three biggest apps - Flo, Clue and Period Tracker. However a damning report from University of Cambridge's Minderoo Centre said the tracking apps were a "gold mine" for consumer profiling. By collecting information, it could allow companies to produce targeted advertisements linked to information users think is kept private. The researchers also warn that if this data gets into the wrong hands, it could even affect access to abortion, health insurance discrimination and cyberstalking as well as risks to job prospects. READ MORE: 'We're empowering women to take charge of their health - new police guidance pushes us back' "There are real and frightening privacy and safety risks to women as a result of the commodification of the data collected by cycle tracking app companies," said Dr Stefanie Felsberger, the lead author of the report. The report calls on organisations such as the NHS and other health bodies to create a "safer" alternative that is trustworthy. Under EU and UK law, the data from these period-tracking apps comes under a special category, which means it should have special protections from being sold on - but this report highlights that consent options are not always enforced or implemented. This then allows the data can be sold to advertisers and tech giants such as Facebook and Google. If the data is sold on, it can be used to target women with tailored adverts for different parts of their cycle such as beauty ads popping up during ovulation, as well as ads relating to pregnancy. According to BBC, researchers said data on who is pregnant, and who wants to be, was some of the "most sought-after information in digital advertising" as it led to a shift in shopping patterns and can be up to 200 times more valuable than data on gender, age and location. Help us improve our content by completing the survey below. We'd love to hear from you! Dr Felsberger added: "Menstrual cycle tracking apps are presented as empowering women and addressing the gender health gap. Yet the business model behind their services rests on commercial use, selling user data and insights to third parties for profit. There are real and frightening privacy and safety risks to women as a result of the commodification of the data collected by cycle tracking app companies." Worryingly, the data can also be used against women when it comes to having an abortion. In the UK, data from apps designed to aid women's health has been requested by police in investigations into women illegally accessing abortion services, according to a Tortoise Media investigation. The guidance released in January 2025 by the National Police Chiefs' Council stated that women who experience a sudden unexpected pregnancy loss, and if the police suspect a miscarriage, stillbirth or early labour is the result of an illegal abortion could be investigated by the authorities. The Mirror spoke to Rhiannon White, CEO of period tracking app Clue on the report, who said she was "disappointed" to see these headlines. "Clue was created, to give women and people with cycles the knowledge and agency around our menstrual and reproductive health that our public health systems have historically failed to. "We firmly believe that as women and people with cycles, our health data must serve us and never be used against us or for anyone else's agenda or commercial benefit. Our app serves our user community–not the agendas of advertisers, insurance companies, data brokers, or anyone else." The CEO continued: "We are a women-led company, CE-marked as a Class I medical device and independently governed under the strictest guidelines of the EU/UK GDPR. We always treat our member data with utmost care, taking all necessary precautions (and more) to ensure it's secure and protected. "We are disappointed to see in these headlines how the female health experience is continually framed from a narrow fertility lens, when we know the vast majority of our members (over 97%) use the app to track a variety of menstrual and cycle related symptoms." She added: "Our de-identified dataset powers critical research into conditions like PCOS, endometriosis, and cycle-related pain, helping to close historic gaps in women's health. The assumption that an overwhelmed public health system can exceed the quality of data protection, medical research, and user-first insight that Clue has prioritised for over a decade is something we welcome a discussion around. We see value in collaboration with any partner or public health entity who wants to join us in moving women's health forward." Sue Khan, VP of Security and Data Protection Officer at Flo told the Mirror: "We support all efforts and research to ensure women feel as safe as possible when using their period tracking apps, and believe the highest standards of data protection must be applied by femtech services in order to protect the rights and freedoms of users. "At Flo, implementing and advocating for best-in-class privacy practices so women's health data can be treated with the utmost respect and care is our priority, and that will never change. We have never - and will never - monetise or sell user data. We do not see personal data as a commodity, and categorically reject the notion that women's health data should be treated as a goldmine for advertising. Our business model is solely subscription-based and does not depend on the exploitation of reproductive information. "We firmly believe it's 'your body, your data'. In 2022, Flo created Anonymous Mode, a first-of-its-kind, award-winning technology that gives users the option to access the Flo app without name, email address, or any technical identifiers being associated with their health information. This means that no one — not Flo, not authorities, no one — can identify the user upon request. We also open-sourced our Anonymous Mode, meaning that any femtech or health tech company could use this technology if they wish. Because safeguarding women's rights isn't a competitive advantage—it's a collective responsibility."
Evening Standard
a day ago
- Evening Standard
Women face ‘frightening privacy and safety risks' from period tracker apps ...Tech & Science Daily podcast
Dr Stefanie Felsberger from Cambridge's Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy, alongside her team at the University of Cambridge, are calling for better regulation in FemTech.
Telegraph
a day ago
- Telegraph
Women's data from period tracking apps ‘being sold at scale'
Period tracking apps are a 'privacy risk' to women, University of Cambridge researchers have warned in a new report. The technology experts said private data from the apps, which track menstrual cycles and are often used by women who want to conceive, were being collected and 'sold at scale'. The researchers from the university's Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy said that this 'poses risks and harms for users'. Menstrual data can provide insights into women's health and their reproductive choices. The apps contain data on exercise, diet, medication, sexual preferences, hormone levels and contraception use. This information was a 'gold mine' for consumer profiling and was often being sold on to third-parties, the report said. Fertility data 'most sought-after' Many women who download the apps do so when they are trying to get pregnant, which the authors said leads to a dramatic shift in shopping behaviour. They said: 'Data on who is pregnant, and who wants to be, has therefore emerged as some of the most sought-after information in digital advertising.' The team said the period tracking apps have rapidly risen in popularity, with global downloads of the three most popular apps surpassing 250 million. The experts said: 'Cycle tracking apps (CTA) are a lucrative business because they provide the companies behind the apps with access to extremely valuable and fine-grained user data. 'CTA data is not only commercially valuable and shared with an inextricable net of third parties (thereby making intimate user information exploitable for targeted advertising), but it also poses severe security risks for users.' Need for 'consent options' They pointed out that in the wrong hands, the data collected by the apps regarding pregnancy status could result in health insurance 'discrimination', risks to job prospects or even domestic abuse. The research team called for better governance of the 'femtech' industry, including improved data security of these apps, which should have 'meaningful consent options'. They also called for public health bodies such as the NHS to launch alternatives to commercial tracking apps that would give women more assurance about how their data is collected and used. 'Real and frightening' safety risks Stefanie Felsberger, lead author of the report, said: 'Menstrual cycle tracking apps are presented as empowering women and addressing the gender health gap. 'Yet the business model behind their services rests on commercial use, selling user data and insights to third parties for profit. 'There are real and frightening privacy and safety risks to women as a result of the commodification of the data collected by cycle tracking app companies.' Prof Gina Neff, executive director of Cambridge's Minderoo Centre, added: 'The use of cycle tracking apps is at an all-time high. 'Women deserve better than to have their menstrual tracking data treated as consumer data, but there is a different possible future.'
