Apps to monitor women's health are putting women at risk by forcing them to reveal highly sensitive data, which they then mishandle, according to new research, cited by the BBC.
The data of millions of women was stolen by a trivial application – Photo Archive
The study investigated the privacy policies and security measures of 20 popular apps designed to monitor women's health during conception. The research found numerous shortcomings in data management, including the lack of a delete function for highly personal information such as menstrual cycles and miscarriages. The authors stated that this is the most comprehensive study of its kind to date.
Hundreds of millions of women use such apps, the authors of the study say.
“While women's health apps are vital to managing the health of women around the world, their benefits are currently undermined by privacy and security issues“, the lead author of the study, Dr. Ruba Abu-Salma, from King's College London, told the BBC.
“Mishandling or leaking reproductive health data can have serious consequences, with blackmail, discrimination and violence being among the worst“, she added.
The research was conducted by King's University and University College London and looked at the most popular apps in the US and UK available on the Google Play store.
In the US, the Supreme Court's nullification of the constitutional right to abortion has heightened the sensitivity of the issue of reproductive health data. Experts fear that information from period tracking apps could be used to prosecute people who want to terminate a pregnancy.
Just “another piece of data”
Women's health tracking apps can contain intimate details about sexual activity, contraception and menstrual cycles, sometimes asking for information about abortions or miscarriages. Research suggests that women's data could be accessed by authorities or security agencies in some cases.
Only one app explicitly addressed the sensitivity of menstrual data in its privacy policies, attempting to protect users from legal threats.
Legislative changes in the US have heightened concerns on the subject, but similar concerns exist in the UK, where regulators are investigating these health tracking systems.
The study highlights that a significant percentage of apps do not live up to their privacy promises. Specifically, 35% of apps said they don't share personal data with third parties, but their privacy policies contradict this claim. Also, 50% of apps were ambiguous about the data collected, although they assured users that health data would not be shared with advertisers.
Additionally, 45 percent of privacy policies disclaim responsibility for third-party practices, despite claims of verification.
The market for these apps is growing rapidly, expected to exceed $75 billion by 2025.
Lisa Malki, one of the authors of the study, emphasized the importance of improving data protection for women.
“There is a tendency on the part of app developers to treat menstrual and fertility data as “just another piece of data”, as opposed to particularly sensitive data that has the potential to stigmatize or incriminate users. It is vital that developers begin to recognize the unique privacy and security risks for users and adopt practices that promote a humanistic and security-aware approach to the development of health technologiesshe said.
