The Hidden Cost of Menstrual Health Apps

Authored by: Tanisha Pallerla

Art by: Miriam Alex

As period tracking has become a widely used practice to monitor menstrual cycles, period tracking apps have gained significant attention with upwards of 250 million users worldwide [1]. Popular apps such as Clue and Flo not only give users the option to track their actual period, but they also provide users with information about other components of their health such as their energy and mood, among several other factors. To do this, many of these tracking apps involve users inputting their personal menstrual health data to store it and receive predictions about future cycles. However, the collection of health data presents distinct challenges regarding privacy, especially given the common practices of data sharing and selling utilized by many period tracking apps.  

Period tracking apps, alongside other health data tracking apps, have become an example of surveillance capitalism [2]. Surveillance capitalism describes the way in which companies are able to collect our data in exchange for access to their platforms [3]. This idea is often used when describing the data collection strategies of tech giants such as Google and Facebook, but many people do not realize that it also applies to health tracking apps. Health tracking apps exemplify this concept as they provide a way for people to be more actively involved in monitoring their own health, while also having to navigate the complicated world of data privacy. This is especially important when dealing with health data. With apps often using data sharing practices and selling big data as a means to generate revenue, the task of giving up sensitive health data becomes more complicated.

In the case of period tracking apps, which represent a subset of health tracking apps, users willingly enter their data in exchange for all the benefits the apps may offer. Such benefits include tracking menstrual cycles and making predictions about what future cycles will look like. A recent study investigating the privacy policies of 20 popular period tracking apps found that many of them are not very transparent about their privacy policies. Unfortunately, the policies are often not comprehensive and are written at a college-level literacy standard, making them difficult for the average user to understand [4]. As a result, many people remain unaware of how these apps are handling their data. 

Despite the challenges surrounding surveillance and data privacy in period tracking apps, many individuals continue to use them due to their valuable health monitoring benefits.  That being said, there are many period tracking apps out there, with some apps offering a subscription service as an alternative to data-sharing, thereby promising to never share user data [5]. 

References:

1. New Study reveals global trends for menstrual tracking app use. University of Oxford. (n.d.). https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2024-11-21-new-study-reveals-global-trends-menstrual-tracking-app-use.

2. Ford, A., De Togni, G., & Miller, L. (2021, October 5). Hormonal health: Period tracking apps, Wellness, and self-management in the era of surveillance capitalism. Engaging science, technology, and society. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7614476/.

3. Kaveena, J. (2019, October 4). Shoshana Zuboff: “Surveillance capitalism is an assault on human autonomy.” The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/oct/04/shoshana-zuboff-surveillance-capitalism-assault-human-automomy-digital-privacy.

4. Hammond, E., Burdon, M.,. (2024, August 25). Intimate harms and menstrual cycle tracking apps. Computer Law & Security Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clsr.2024.106038.

5. Norman, H., Knight, V. (2022, May 13). Should you worry about data from your period-tracking app being used against you?. KFF Health News. https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/period-tracking-apps-data-privacy/.