Women’s Privacy Online: Data Dangers

Women’s privacy online is constantly at risk. Allow me to walk you through the hidden data dangers in FemTech and women’s health apps.

This post focuses on women’s privacy. While the examples here draw mainly from women’s experiences, many of these risks also affect people with different gender identities that make them more vulnerable to online harassment or data misuse. Privacy is not experienced equally, and this is the point.

I am a big fan of FemTech – technology that focuses on women’s health and wellness. I started using a FemTech app in the distant 2015 when people found it surprising that I did if I mentioned it. But I can assure you that the data you record gives you detailed knowledge you can keep for yourself or take to doctors. It’s empowering (and I don’t use this word often).

Who is Looking at Women’s Health Data?

Smart devices have helped women when traditional routes have failed them, so they have brought a number of positives.

However, it is concerning how easily we share intimate details and who has access to them. There are some problems with how tech companies are using them, and we also have to face the fact that some of the data may be used by law enforcement.

@plhnk on Unsplash

In terms of data collection, let’s take period apps, for example. There should be no more than three to four types of (special category, more sensitive) personal data you must record to make it work.

However, in practice, some apps come with free or pre-determined fields that invite the user to record other highly intimate information and sometimes medical conditions. This practice of over-collection (and oversharing) makes the consequences to users more serious in case of a breach.

The cultural stigma around fertility and menstruation makes breaches uniquely harmful to women. If intimate information leaks, it could fuel targeted harassment — creating a vicious cycle that takes a serious toll on women’s mental health.

Having more data than strictly necessary is also a goldmine for advertisers if the company has set up such partnerships. Flo was accused of doing just that some time ago (they have now addressed this). I think I can safely generalise that no-one wants their health and intimate data shared and would not want to be profiled based on it… But few think about this.

Can Police Really Access Data?

Another realistic scenario of what the data can be used for beyond its initial purpose is for police investigations.

Taking the US and the overturning of Roe v Wade* as an example, period app data can become part or the centre of an investigation in abortion cases. Beyond this, the police may request data for domestic violence or sexual assault investigations, to name a few.

Under UK rules, you don’t have to tell the data subject about the request if this information would prejudice the investigation of crime. So, your period app provider could share information about something very intimate about you:

a) without your knowledge,

b) despite the fact you may not be the main person being investigated, and maybe

c) when you’re already going through something traumatic at hospital.

Digital inequality is greater if you’re a woman – you’re inconvenienced or annoyed at best, convicted or abused at worst. It’s not the best deal.

Yet, I am not arguing against police investigations or advocating for never using a health app again. I am highlighting the unfortunate choice women have to make between health convenience and privacy.

What Can Users Do?

You have to pick your battles. You can’t control how companies design their apps, but you can choose which ones to trust. Look for providers that prove they value privacy, not just profit. Below are some tips from my experience.

App Choice

• Look for apps with transparent funding models (e.g. paid subscriptions, not ads-based).

• Google the company’s track record for privacy and data infringements, fines, security breaches, general bad press.

• Check that there is end-to-end encryption.

• Be aware of the company’s location. Some jurisdictions offer fewer legal protections, are more interested in the business side of things, and have different cultural attitudes towards privacy.

Data Habits

• Minimise the data you enter – I can’t stress this enough. Share only what’s necessary to do you what you need to do.

• Review your privacy settings as soon as you download the app and before you start using it. Look for toggles that can be turned off (e.g. data used for AI training, data sharing).

• Edit your cookie preferences.

• Don’t log in with a social media account.

I am not telling you to read the app’s privacy notice. It’s helpful, and you’re welcome to because it will give you an idea about their privacy stance, but the truth is in the code.

Finally, not every women’s health app is careless with your data, and many bring real benefits by helping users track patterns and share useful information with doctors. The risks I describe aren’t meant to discourage you from using these tools altogether, but to highlight that privacy protections vary a lot between providers.

* The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, ending the constitutional right to abortion and allowing individual states to set their own laws.