As public health organizations indicate that women’s personal information is vulnerable to exploitation by private entities, experts advocate for public health groups to create alternatives to for-profit period tracker applications.
A study from the University of Cambridge reveals that smartphone apps used for menstrual cycle tracking serve as a “Goldmine” for consumer profiling, collecting data on exercise, diet, medication, hormone levels, and birth control methods.
The economic worth of this information is often “greatly underestimated” by users who share intimate details in unregulated markets with profit-driven businesses, according to the report.
If mishandled, data from cycle tracking apps (CTAs) could lead to issues like employment bias, workplace monitoring, discrimination in health insurance, risks of cyberstalking, and restricted access to abortion services, research indicates.
The authors urge for improved regulation in the expanding Femtech sector to safeguard users as data is sold in large quantities, suggesting that apps should offer clear consent options regarding data collection and promote the establishment of public health agency alternatives to commercial CTAs.
“The menstrual cycle tracking app is marketed as empowering women and bridging gender health disparities,” stated Dr. Stephanie Felberger, PhD, of the Center for Technology and Democracy at Cambridge, the lead author of the report. “Nevertheless, its underlying business model relies on commercial usage, wherein user data and insights are sold to third parties for profit.
“As a consequence of the monetization of data collected by cycle tracking app companies, women face significant and alarming privacy and safety threats.”
The report indicates that most cycle tracking apps cater to women attempting to conceive, making the stored data highly commercially valuable. Other life events, aside from home purchasing, do not trigger such notable shifts in consumer behavior.
Data pertaining to pregnancy is valued at over 200 times more than information about age, gender, or location for targeted advertisements. Furthermore, tracking cycle duration can allow for targeting women at various phases of their cycles.
The three most popular apps project a quarterly download figure of 500 million yen for 2024. The digital health sector focused on women’s wellness is anticipated to surpass $60 billion (£44 billion) by 2027, as noted in the report.
In light of the considerable demand for period tracking, the authors are calling on public health entities, including the UK’s NHS, to create transparent and reliable apps as alternatives to commercial offerings.
“The UK is ideally positioned to address researchers’ challenges related to menstrual data access, as well as privacy and data concerns, by developing an NHS app dedicated to tracking menstrual cycles,” added that the parent-child relationship in the US Reproductive Medicine Plan currently utilizes its own app.
“Apps situated within public health frameworks, which are not primarily profit-driven, can significantly reduce privacy violations, gather essential data on reproductive health, and empower users regarding the utilization of their menstrual information.”
“Utilizing cycle tracking apps is beneficial. Women deserve better than having their menstrual tracking data treated merely as consumer data,” remarked Professor Gina Neff, executive director of the Mindeoo Center.
In the UK and the EU, period tracking data falls under “special categories” and enjoys greater legal protection, similar to genetics and ethnicity. In the United States, authorities collect menstrual cycle data which may hinder access to abortion services, according to the report.
Source: www.theguardian.com
