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Menstrual tracking app data is gold mine for advertisers that risks women safety

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Re: Menstrual tracking app data is gold mine for advertisers that risks women safety

#71

Post by XorNot »

Ylpertnodi wrote: post #60
NoTranslationL wrote: post #23

If anyone is interested in a privacy focused tracking app that stores all your data locally, I make an app called Reflect [0] whose sole purpose is this, plus on-device analysis. We’re working on a menstrual tracking feature right now and it’s pretty far along. We’ve just released an anomaly detection feature as well. [0] https://apps.apple.com/us/app/reflect-track-anything/id64638...

For people living in the US of Freedom, wouldn't it be good think to 'keep putting in' cycles, despite pregnancy? Should anything untoward happen later, a quick flash o' the app and "Nope, Officer, no siree. Like clockwork, me...".

Duress modes are a frequently overlooked feature in general - e.g. I don't want to just block access to my location, I want to lie about my location entirely.

Re: Menstrual tracking app data is gold mine for advertisers that risks women safety

#72

Post by olalonde »

footy wrote: post #5
olalonde wrote: post #3

[flagged]

perhaps it has, but considering what American women in particular are risking if their menstrual data is leaked this doesn't seem like an example of said loss of meaning

What specific safety risks could an American woman face if her menstrual data were leaked?

Re: Menstrual tracking app data is gold mine for advertisers that risks women safety

#73

Post by 28304283409234 »

frakt0x90 wrote: post #69

As usual, we need laws preventing gross (in every sense) invasions of privacy. Building new apps that aren't evil still allows the evil ones to exist. Targeted advertising as a whole should be eradicated.

Truly - how is this not data theft?

Re: Menstrual tracking app data is gold mine for advertisers that risks women safety

#74

Post by XorNot »

1970-01-01 wrote: post #70
ubermonkey wrote: post #56

In the current climate, no one should use a menstrual tracking app of any kind, even those with on-device-only data. Asking normal people to figure out the risk profile of that data, and to evaluate the trustworthiness of a given app, is just too much. Use a paper calendar.

The risk profile of paper seems to be equal to the risk profile of on-device-only? How do they differ? Something you have v. something you have

Paper is easier to destroy quickly, and to also plausibly lose or deny having.

This is actually one of the biggest problems I've found with Yubikeys: they're both too fragile yet also hard to reliably, deliberately destroy quickly.

Re: Menstrual tracking app data is gold mine for advertisers that risks women safety

#75

Post by nemomarx »

olalonde wrote: post #72
footy wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

perhaps it has, but considering what American women in particular are risking if their menstrual data is leaked this doesn't seem like an example of said loss of meaning

What specific safety risks could an American woman face if her menstrual data were leaked?

If your period stops long enough to suggest a pregnancy, and then resumes without giving birth on record, that's enough evidence that you might have terminated the pregnancy. This can be correlated with travel records to find that you used a clinic out of state, which is a crime in some jurisdictions.

Re: Menstrual tracking app data is gold mine for advertisers that risks women safety

#76

Post by 1970-01-01 »

XorNot wrote: post #74
1970-01-01 wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The risk profile of paper seems to be equal to the risk profile of on-device-only? How do they differ? Something you have v. something you have

Paper is easier to destroy quickly, and to also plausibly lose or deny having. This is actually one of the biggest problems I've found with Yubikeys: they're both too fragile yet also hard to reliably, deliberately destroy quickly.

I really don't agree. If I take a photo on my phone, it can be deleted in less than a millisecond. Shredding a paper calendar takes at least 30 seconds. I don't see denial of ownership as a legitimate strategy to data confidentiality.

Re: Menstrual tracking app data is gold mine for advertisers that risks women safety

#77

Post by isodev »

testing22321 wrote: post #66
rtkwe wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

It’s always worth pointing out there are many billions of people who live completely free of this fear of reprisals from the state/country they live in

True, but for many, even “local only” apps store their data on devices managed by US-based companies. Would Apple sell your data to advertisers? - probably not. Would Apple share your data with law enforcement? - of course, and they don’t even need to tell you.

Re: Menstrual tracking app data is gold mine for advertisers that risks women safety

#78

Post by Mistletoe »

NoTranslationL wrote: post #23

If anyone is interested in a privacy focused tracking app that stores all your data locally, I make an app called Reflect [0] whose sole purpose is this, plus on-device analysis. We’re working on a menstrual tracking feature right now and it’s pretty far along. We’ve just released an anomaly detection feature as well. [0] https://apps.apple.com/us/app/reflect-track-anything/id64638...

Really neat app, thanks for sharing.

Re: Menstrual tracking app data is gold mine for advertisers that risks women safety

#79

Post by mschuster91 »

testing22321 wrote: post #66
rtkwe wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

It’s always worth pointing out there are many billions of people who live completely free of this fear of reprisals from the state/country they live in

Unfortunately, the right to abortion is under fire worldwide. I'm not just talking about the usual suspects like Russia or Islamist theocracies, but also here in Europe... Hungary and Poland being the first suspects, but Italy is also planning to restrict it [1]. And in Germany, the last government at least banned "pro-life" haunting events, but there are wide swaths especially in Bavaria where there is no doctor or clinic providing abortion at all, even in medical emergency scenarios, because church-run hospitals can and do ban it.

[1] https://www.rnd.de/politik/abtreibungsgesetz-in-italien-rech...

Re: Menstrual tracking app data is gold mine for advertisers that risks women safety

#80

Post by thmsths »

28304283409234 wrote: post #73
frakt0x90 wrote: post #69

As usual, we need laws preventing gross (in every sense) invasions of privacy. Building new apps that aren't evil still allows the evil ones to exist. Targeted advertising as a whole should be eradicated.

Truly - how is this not data theft?

Because you "technically" agreed to it in the 5000 words long terms and conditions, you also agreed to the clause that says they can change at anytime.
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