98 - Can We Trust Period Tracking Apps?

Raise your hand if you use a period tracking app! All three blosts certainly have (we talked about it in episode 7 of the pod!), but over the past few years, we've heard more and more about how the way these apps handle data is less than ideal. So, in this episode, Meg T dives deep into what these tracker apps know about us, what they do with that info and who they sell it to. Especially as Roe v. Wade may soon be gutted and the government may insert itself deeper into our bodies, it's important to know the ways your very private data may be at risk. Open a pad and your phone settings and settle in! The copious articles Meg T referenced: Will My Period Tracking App Betray Me? Menstrual Surveillance in a Post-Roe World https://msmagazine.com/2022/05/09/period-tracking-app-menstrual-surveillance-roe-v-wade-abortion/ Spotty privacy practices of popular period trackers https://blog.mozilla.org/en/internet-culture/privacy-practices-period-trackers/ What Your Period Tracker App Knows About You https://www.consumerreports.org/health-privacy/what-your-period-tracker-app-knows-about-you-a8701683935/ Is your pregnancy app sharing your intimate data with your boss? https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/04/10/tracking-your-pregnancy-an-app-may-be-more-public-than-you-think/ “Failed” abortions, a period-tracking spreadsheet, and the last clinic standing: the controversy in Missouri, explained https://www.vox.com/2019/10/31/20939890/missouri-abortion-clinic-hearing-periods-roe-wade Data Broker Is Selling Location Data of People Who Visit Abortion Clinics https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7vzjb/location-data-abortion-clinics-safegraph-planned-parenthood Your Apps Know Where You Were Last Night https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/12/10/business/location-data-privacy-apps.html