Is Your Data Secure in a Period-Tracking App?

The US Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade last week has reignited the conversation about privacy within period-tracking apps.

With abortion now outlawed or restricted in many states, privacy experts are cautioning that data entered into period-tracking apps could be used against a user who had or considered having an abortion.

That data could be vulnerable to a subpoena in a criminal case or even sold to a third party — like an activist group on either side — that’s interested in that type of information. Any information stored digitally could also be exposed in a data breach.

There are ways to better protect your data in a health app — like using a paid app that only stores information on your device — but there isn’t a 100% risk-free option to track periods in an app.

You’ll have to weigh the potential security risks against convenience for yourself.

Should You Quit Using a Period-Tracking App?

So what should you do right now? Here are some options to protect your info:

1. Switch to paper and pen. Until there’s more information and precedent, the safest option is to not use a period-tracking app and return to a pen-and-calendar method of tracking. Yes, an app is convenient but there’s no guarantee that your data is 100% safe.
2. Delete your account. If you quit using an app, deactivate or delete your account if possible before deleting the app.
3. Change your privacy and permission settings. If you do use a period-tracking app, select the highest privacy setting available and use a paid app as your data is less likely to be tracked or monetized. Check your permissions, too, to see what the app has access to on your phone and restrict those as needed.
4. Move your data out of the cloud and onto your device. Make sure that any data you put into an app is only stored on your device and the app has strict privacy standards and takes additional security measures, such as anonymizing information.

Your Data Has Already Been Shared

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