Donna Rosato confirms your fears about what the apps know… and share. According to Rosato, if you are using or have used this kind of app, then the app may have collected not only the dates on which you menstruated, but how often you engage in intercourse, if you are trying to have a baby, and whether you engage in unprotected sex, have experienced a miscarriage, or are approaching menopause. Do you know where that data goes? Do you care? From the Consumer Reports report:
As Consumer Reports’ Digital Lab found in a recent examination of five popular period tracking apps—BabyCenter, Clue, Flo, My Calendar, and Ovia—this means even anonymous users like Feintuch have no guarantee that their information won’t be shared in some way with third parties for marketing and other purposes.
Having your personal health information disseminated in ways you’re unaware of could have serious repercussions, says Dena Mendelsohn, CR’s senior counsel on privacy and technology policy. It could, for instance, affect your ability to obtain life insurance and how much you pay for that coverage, increase the interest rate you’re charged on loans, and even leave you vulnerable to workplace discrimination. And because you usually don’t know who has your data, you may never know if you’ve experienced any of those harms.
Read more on Consumer Reports.