Expert issues major warning to users of period tracker apps
The mobile phone apps, designed to help people track their periods by counting the days they are menstruating, have proved hugely popular in recent years, with the biggest three - Flo, Clue and Period Tracker - downloaded by more than 250 million.
A recent study by University of Cambridge 's Minderoo Centre warned users to exercise caution when using the applications - calling them a 'gold mine' for consumer profiling.
Users who allow tracking on the app may be exposing their private information to major tech companies, who can use it to deliver targeted ads based on their menstrual cycle, the study suggested.
Researchers warned that the intimate nature of the information could have far greater consequences in real life, with access to abortion, health insurance and even job prospects at risk.
Leaked information could also make them vulnerable to discrimination and cyberstalking.
Dr Stefanie Felsberger, the lead author of the report, said: '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.'
The report called on official health bodies, including the NHS, to take action to create 'safer' alternatives to the apps currently on the market.
According to the report, while data from period-tracking apps is held under special protections against being sold externally, consent options aren't always implemented, meaning advertisers - such as Google and Facebook - can easily get their hands on private information.
Companies can use information from period tracking apps to target women according to their cycle, offering up beauty and pregnancy adverts during ovulation.
Researchers told the BBC that data relating to who wants to be pregnant was some of the most 'sought-after information in digital advertising' as it's the 'most likely' driver of changes in shopping habits.
This information can be up to 200 times more valuable than data on gender, age and location.
Dr Felsberger 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.'
In addition to concerns regarding data leaks, information on women's health could also impact their reproductive care.
According to an investigation by Tortoise Media, there have been instances whereby police have been able to request such data from period tracker apps when investigating women who have illegally accessed abortion services.
Earlier this year, the National Police Chiefs' Council released guidance that permitted officers to investigate cases where a pregnancy loss, such as a miscarriage, stillbirth or early labour, could be the result of an illegal abortion.
Responding to the findings, Rhiannon White, CEO of period tracking app Clue told The Mirror she was 'disappointed' by the news, adding that apps like theirs offered women 'agency' where public health system have 'failed' them in the past.
She added that 97 per cent of users used the app to help monitor a myriad of health and reproductive issues, highlighting that it was wrong simply to view apps though a 'narrow fertility lens'.
Some of those include hormone conditions such as PCOS, or endometriosis.
Worldwide, one in 5 women are affected PCOS, a hormone disorder characterised by erratic or absent periods and cysts in the ovaries.
And one in 10 people are thought to have endometriosis, a chronic disease associated with severe, life-impacting symptoms such as pain and heavy bleeding. It's caused by tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus.
Adenomyosis is another reproductive condition - thought to imapct one in five people, it's symptoms also include severe pain in the abdomen and throughout the body, as well as heavy periods.
Sue Khan, VP of Security and Data Protection Officer at Flo told the publication she supported efforts to ensure that it's users felt safe when using the app and that the highest standards of data protection were being implemented.
In 2022, the company introduced 'Anonymous Mode', a feature that gave people access to Flo without having to include their name, email address, or any technical identifiers.
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