There have been calls on social media for American women to delete period-tracking apps from their phones since the US Supreme Court’s draft Roe v. Wade decision was leaked in early May. With abortion now outlawed in at least eight states, there are fears that the app’s users’ menstrual cycle data, along with other information, could be used to prosecute them for having an abortion in a state where it is no longer legal. “Unfortunately I have to tell people to get off [the apps]says Danielle Citron, a law professor at the University of Virginia School of Law. Her concern is that data from a period tracker, as well as other sources of information, could help build a case that a woman had an illegal abortion. “You have your period on date X, you miss your period, then say, say, 20 weeks later you have your period again, and that time period your location shows that you went to a clinic either in-state or out-of-state — that in many ways they are the circumstantial evidence a prosecutor needs,” Citron said. WATCHES | Why some women may want to consider deleting period tracking apps:

Danielle Citron, a law professor at the University of Virginia School of Law, says health data collected by smartphone apps could be used to prosecute women in the US for illegal abortions. Digital privacy experts say concerns about period-tracking apps should also be a wake-up call to Canadians about how they capture their own sensitive health data online. “Just don’t trust what companies do with your data,” says Ann Cavoukian, former Ontario privacy commissioner and founder of the International Council on Global Privacy and Security by Design. “They may claim to protect your privacy, store none of your digital data, share it with anyone, but time and time again, we’ve seen them proven wrong. They often share it with unauthorized third parties in ways you haven’t consented to.” ».

Tracking and sharing

There are thousands of period tracking apps in the Apple App Store and Google Play, each with their own privacy policy detailing how user information is stored and shared. Abortion rights supporters protest at the Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson, Miss., on June 28, after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending constitutional protections for abortion. Mississippi has a trigger law banning abortion that could go into effect this week, pending a legal challenge. (Rogelio V. Solis/The Associated Press) The most sophisticated apps collect and store a huge amount of data, beyond menstrual cycle details, to create a profile of users: everything from their name, location and whether they are trying to get pregnant, to details of sexual their lifestyles, exercise, what medications they take and more — a treasure trove for advertisers. “When you downloaded this app, how much did you pay for it? What’s your monthly subscription? If the answer is zero, if you’re not paying for the product, then you are the product,” says Ritesh Kotak, chief cyber security officer. and technology analyst in Toronto. Some period apps explicitly tell users that their data could be shared with third-party advertisers, partners, business partners, and even other app users — though those details are often buried in their privacy policies. Following the Supreme Court ruling, several of the biggest period app companies have tried to reassure their users about their data protection measures. Flo has launched an anonymous feature, so users no longer have to share their name or email, while Clue has pledged to never hand over personal health data “to any authority that could use it against you.” But if a company gets a warrant or subpoena in the US, it would have to hand over that data to law enforcement, Citron says — and the same goes for Canada. This image from the period tracking app Flo shows the app’s “pregnancy mode.” The company says it will create an anonymous option for users to help protect their privacy. (Provided by Flo) “[Police] they could demand it if they have a warrant. You, the agency, are obligated to provide the data to the police,” Cavoukian said. (Clow did not respond to a request for comment.) Experts say that even if an app promises not to share or sell user data, it’s likely still monetizing that information through targeted ads that reach specific users. “There are word games about what can and can’t be sold,” says Andrea Ford, a medical anthropologist and researcher at the University of Edinburgh who has extensively studied period-tracking apps. “[The company] still has a profile of you as an internet user and where you go, what you do, what other things you’re interested in — like, if you might be pregnant and might want baby supplies, your data can flow through those channels without to sell your personal information.” Anyone ready to ditch their period tracker should be aware that simply deleting the app won’t necessarily delete all of your data from their servers: some apps require you to submit a deletion request in writing, and it can take weeks for them to fulfill your request.

Big data routes

Tech experts also caution against focusing too much on period trackers, when many other apps also monetize private health data in various ways. There are many other digital footprints that can reveal more about a person’s activities, such as web search results, text messages and email receipts. All have been used to criminalize people who have sought abortions in the US, Cynthia Conti-Cook, a civil rights attorney and digital evidence researcher, told The New York Times. Google says it will automatically delete location history data showing visits to abortion clinics, among other locations, around the world. In this photo, anti-abortion protesters, leftists and clinic attendants gather outside an abortion clinic in Louisville, Ark., on April 16. (Jonathan Cherry/Reuters) Concerns that women’s smartphone location data could be used against them prompted Google to announce that it will automatically delete visits to abortion clinics, as well as some other destinations, from users’ location history. The change will be implemented globally, including in Canada, a Google spokesperson told CBC News. Personal data can also be a “very valuable commodity” for hackers, Kotak warned. He suggests using an email address that doesn’t contain your full name when signing up for an app and providing as little personal information as possible. Canadians who are concerned about how apps use their personal data can contact a data protection organization for help or file a complaint with the federal privacy commissioner’s office. A spokesman for Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne said his office has not received any complaints about period tracking apps, nor has it investigated any of these apps.