Skimmed the complaint. Seems like they got in hot water for deceptive disclaimers and not committing to the tenants of the privacy shield. Had their TOS said "we may disclose your data to advertisers" in small font and not voluntarily entered into the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield they would be okay.
FTC Settlement with Fertility-Tracking App for Facebook/Google SDK Data Sharing
71–78 of 78 posts
Re: FTC Settlement with Fertility-Tracking App for Facebook/Google SDK Data Sharing
#72Earlier quoted context omitted.
I’m more pointing out how it’s not a silver bullet (and how a silver bullet for app privacy doesn’t exist); nothing is perfect and f-droid is no exception, even if it is better than Play Store. Nothing is stopping an app from uploading user data for a good purpose then selling it to third parties.
> nothing is perfect and f-droid is no exception, even if it is better than Play Store Not wearing a seatbelt isn't perfect, and yet we all still do it :)
> Not wearing a seatbelt isn't perfect, and yet we all still do it :)
Provably false.
Re: FTC Settlement with Fertility-Tracking App for Facebook/Google SDK Data Sharing
#73So, what's the correct recipe here? Anonimyze your events before sending to third party analytics? Like event5, mood12?
Maybe there are some things where you just shouldn't use 3rd party analytics, if any.
What is the difference between using Google Analytics and Google Spanner then? Or AWS Aurora vs AWS EC2 for that matter?
Re: FTC Settlement with Fertility-Tracking App for Facebook/Google SDK Data Sharing
#74Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah you can definitely sell anything to a couple who is trying to get pregnant, especially if you know they've been trying for a few months without success.
I'm sure you can successfully sell anything from coffee to yoga classes that helps with fertility. Just takes the right pitch and the right mark.
Having done a lot of research myself, there's a ton of folksy "tricks" online but precious little real research information available. A lot of the "tips" boil down to "be young and healthy" and "don't be old and unhealthy."
I've read some peer reviewed research as well but most of that is focused on outcomes and genetic testing of IVF embryos rather than natural fertilization. I get the impression that fertility isn't something that's well-studied outside of really generic health indicators like weight and age. And a lot of fertility information seems to focus on ages 20 to 35. They seem to assume that after that age you've given up on starting a family or that you already have one.
Re: FTC Settlement with Fertility-Tracking App for Facebook/Google SDK Data Sharing
#75Earlier quoted context omitted.
Maybe there are some things where you just shouldn't use 3rd party analytics, if any.
What is the difference between using Google Analytics and Google Spanner then? Or AWS Aurora vs AWS EC2 for that matter?
My understanding is that Google promises not to use data in gcp databases, while it openly says it will use Analytics data for its own purposes. But yes, you should carefully consider that!
Re: FTC Settlement with Fertility-Tracking App for Facebook/Google SDK Data Sharing
#76If anyone is looking for an alternative to Flo, as of iOS 13 the built-in Health app has similar functionality: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210407
I know of another one called POW! made by indie developer Benedicte Raae: https://www.usepow.app/ The data is all client-side encrypted, so she doesn't collect any sensitive user data that could be sold or abused. I've never used it, but I think the privacy-first mission is cool.
Hey, this is Benedicte. If the app is not for you there is also the newsletter about privacy, menstrual health and POW!: https://www.usepow.app/newsletter
Re: FTC Settlement with Fertility-Tracking App for Facebook/Google SDK Data Sharing
#77Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's worth pointing out that traditional data brokers are able to track menstrual cycles based on purchase activity. Nobody can opt out of this and it's been going on for a few decades. It can be used for ad targeting by presenting the target with the optimal content for each week.
Why is that worth pointing out?
It shows how this could be done for cycle analytics as well...If I remember the target case correctly it was not the buying of a pregnancy test, but general products like more body lotion etc. Things that correlate to the symptoms of the hormons present.
Re: FTC Settlement with Fertility-Tracking App for Facebook/Google SDK Data Sharing
#78There is also this interesting article about app like these sharing data directly to the employer: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/04/10/trackin...
"Is your pregnancy app sharing your intimate data with your boss? As apps to help moms monitor their health proliferate, employers and insurers pay to keep tabs on the vast and valuable data"