2 days ago
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.
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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."
