Now is a good time to bring up. https://bloodyhealth.gitlab.io A secure open source period tracking app.
A nontrivial issue is how the app looks, unfortunately
Period tracking app, Flo, found to be selling user data to Meta
161–170 of 285 posts
Re: Period tracking app, Flo, found to be selling user data to Meta
#162Earlier quoted context omitted.
Regardless of your opinion on gender and identity politics, surely people can agree that only biological women have periods.
Of course, but treating transgender men like you would a cisgender woman with all the same gendered expectations is both incredibly disrespectful if done on purpose and humiliating for someone who very much does not want to be treated as a woman despite having a period that most likely already makes them very uncomfortable and dysphoric > only biological women have periods generally, yes, but there are so many edge c…
Language is consumed by people, not machines.
You don't have to speak like a lawyer.
There is no intersex person waiting to jump out and yell accusatory things at you because you didn't include sufficient asterisks or you said statements that are 99.9999% true.
Re: Period tracking app, Flo, found to be selling user data to Meta
#163Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Why would anyone think that a non-HIPPA compliant app would keep medical information private to the level of security needed for medical data? because lots of people dont know what HIPPA is, and (naively to us more familiar with tech) assume that a medical-related app on a curated app store would be safe for medical-related stuff.
> lots of people dont know what HIPPA is Ironically, it's HIPAA. You're right, though; it's much more limited than people think. During COVID people claimed everything violated HIPAA (masks, vaccine requirements, testing), but it only applies in a very narrow subset of patient/provider relationships.
Very much so. Also ironically, as a healthcare provider (paramedic), HIPAA expressly allows me to get your healthcare information without your consent (as needed for your care). A lot of facilities have you sign paperwork to explicitly authorize sharing, but that's really just a CYA.
"Does the HIPAA Privacy Rule permit doctors, nurses, and other health care providers to share patient health information for treatment purposes without the patient’s authorization? Answer: Yes. The Privacy Rule allows those doctors, nurses, hospitals, laboratory technicians, and other health care providers that are covered entities to use or disclose protected health information, such as X-rays, laboratory and pathology reports, diagnoses, and other medical information for treatment purposes without the patient’s authorization."
Source: https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/faq/481/does-hip...
Re: Period tracking app, Flo, found to be selling user data to Meta
#164I don’t have the right configuration of equipment to use an app like this, but does anyone know why this needs to be a service-driven app? What piece of functionality requires a server to track your health?
The blockchain should have solved this.
Re: Period tracking app, Flo, found to be selling user data to Meta
#165Earlier quoted context omitted.
HIPAA makes our medical privacy worse, unfortunately. Same video, different platforms: ( https://odysee.com/@NaomiBrockwell:4/HIPAA:7 ) ( https://invidious.nerdvpn.de/watch?v=4sfIBRTcRpU ) ( https://youtube.com/watch?v=4sfIBRTcRpU )
Great video, thanks for sharing. TL;DW: HIPAA was actually created to allow insurance companies to share patient data without having to get patient consent. Before HIPAA, data was more fractured and less commonly shared. The only privacy protections it offers is, e.g., your doctor not giving your data to your boss. But about 1.5 million private entities can legally access your data (everything from health startups to…
> But about 1.5 million private entities can legally access your data
Somewhat. They are allowed to access it "for treatment purposes", not just to nose around out of curiosity.
I found myself explaining this to a number of my patients (I used to be a paramedic) who were irate about disclosures they'd made to their therapist, doctor, etc., that they had said they didn't want revealed to other providers (but were actually germane to their care).
"Does the HIPAA Privacy Rule permit doctors, nurses, and other health care providers to share patient health information for treatment purposes without the patient’s authorization? Answer: Yes. The Privacy Rule allows those doctors, nurses, hospitals, laboratory technicians, and other health care providers that are covered entities to use or disclose protected health information, such as X-rays, laboratory and pathology reports, diagnoses, and other medical information for treatment purposes without the patient’s authorization."
https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/faq/481/does-hip...
Re: Period tracking app, Flo, found to be selling user data to Meta
#166Meta only cares about ad revenue so could they be researching or have discovered a link between buying trends and links to a woman's cycle?
Re: Period tracking app, Flo, found to be selling user data to Meta
#167Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've never used Flo specifically, so I don't know what kind of data analysis it has available, but period data is the #1 most useful health data to have an app crunch for you, and "your period starts tomorrow" is a pretty darn useful notification to get.
Most of the women I know well enough to know this about them track and predict the onset of their next period without needing an application. It isn't exactly rocket science.
This is a strawman argument. Nobody is arguing that period apps are a necessity. Women have been tracking our periods without computers since prehistoric times. Women were doing rocket science calculations before computers, for that matter. Of course we can do without period apps. But they're more useful than any other health tracking device or app that I can think of.
Re: Period tracking app, Flo, found to be selling user data to Meta
#168Earlier quoted context omitted.
Are we assuming the lack of a recorded period is the criteria? If yes, what if you just forgot to add it that month, or have hormonal issues, or abnormal BMI?
Lots of reasons why you would miss a period that aren't pregnancy related. But that's not the point. Missing a period opens you up to further scrutiny and investigation by the state. Now they will start seeing if you've made out of town trips or perhaps subpoena your chat log to see what you've said to friends and family. It's not enough to prosecute, it is enough to start an investigation.
Is there any precedent of subpoena-ing chat logs, or locale information, based on (illegally obtained information of) a missed period; or is this Handmaid's-Tale-fantasy territory?
Re: Period tracking app, Flo, found to be selling user data to Meta
#169Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've never used Flo specifically, so I don't know what kind of data analysis it has available, but period data is the #1 most useful health data to have an app crunch for you, and "your period starts tomorrow" is a pretty darn useful notification to get.
We're using Flo specifically, mostly for sharing stuff like "her period starts tomorrow" to the both of us, she doesn't really need a notification for that :)
I'm not sure I understand your argument. It's important enough that she has it set up to share that data to both of you, but it's so unimportant she doesn't need a notification for it?
Re: Period tracking app, Flo, found to be selling user data to Meta
#170Meta only cares about ad revenue so could they be researching or have discovered a link between buying trends and links to a woman's cycle?
Are you joking? There's loads of trivial links. Most obviously: it's stopped (pregnancy, menopause) and therefore so too will stop purchases of certain 'female hygiene products'.