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Menstrual tracking app data is gold mine for advertisers that risks women safety
Cambridge researchers urge public health bodies like the NHS to provide trustworthy, research-driven alternatives to platforms driven by profit.
The report’s authors caution that cycle tracking app (CTA) data in the wrong hands could result in risks to job prospects, workplace monitoring, health insurance discrimination and cyberstalking – and limit access to abortion. As most cycle tracking apps are targeted at women aiming to get pregnant, the download data alone is of huge commercial value, say researchers, as – other than home buying – no life event is linked to such dramatic shifts in consumer behaviour. The report cites work published last month from Privacy International showing that, while the major CTA companies have updated their approach to data sharing, device information is still collected in the UK and US with “no meaningful consent”.
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