Some folks have questioned if other period tracker apps are safe. I really cannot 100% vouch for ANY of them being "safe" insofar as sharing and selling your data, and therefore I could not in good conscience recommend switching to another app. I couldn't even vouch for any at 80% or 90%, because nearly all of them will at some point integrate with Facebook or Google (which needs no sale involved), and some have clauses that explicitly tell you they will share your data with law enforcement if ordered to.
Fitbit, for example, will share your data with law enforcement:
"The Privacy Policy also states that they’ll share info with law enforcement “when required by law.” A Fitbit spokesperson elaborated: “Like many companies, Fitbit responds to valid legal process issued in compliance with applicable law. Respect for the privacy of our users drives our approach. Our policy is to notify our users of legal process seeking access to their information unless we are prohibited by law from doing so as explained in our privacy policy. When we receive a request, our team reviews it to make sure it satisfies legal requirements and Fitbit’s policies, and Fitbit will only disclose content and geo-location data pursuant to a valid search warrant.” Some companies publish what is known as a “warrant canary”, which signals to users that a service provider has been served with government subpoenas. Fitbit does not." [Avast, What Fitbit Knows About You]
Note the part about content and geo-location. That's extremely relevant for visits to Planned Parenthood or other local abortion providers.
The app Flo has gotten into trouble about its own sharing to Facebook:
"The FTC has reached a settlement with Flo, a period and fertility tracking app with 100 million+ users, over allegations it shared users’ health data with third-party app analytics and marketing services like Facebook despite promising to keep users’ sensitive health data private. [...]
It found the fertility tracking app had informed Facebook of in-app activity — such as when a user was having their period or had informed it of an intention to get pregnant. It did not find any way for Flo users to prevent their health information from being sent to Facebook." [TechCrunch, "Flo gets FTC slap..."]
While Clue is based in Germany and adheres to GDPR, and shows a great understanding of transparency and sensitivity about your data, it too will share with law enforcement if compelled - and if you use Clue Birth Control mode, it's incredibly likely that would be data shared with law enforcement:
"2.5 To comply with legal obligations
We may disclose information we collect, including your personal data, when we in good faith believe that disclosure is required to comply with the law, a court order, or a subpoena. We may also disclose your personal data to prevent or investigate a possible crime, such as fraud or identity theft." [Clue, Privacy Policy]
Here's also a segment done on period tracker apps and surveillance capitalism on NPR (this is the audio + transcript): "Period tracking apps, surveillance capitalism, health data privacy: When Tracking Your Period Lets Companies Track You"
Here's another article on some popular period tracker apps and what data they will provide. [Privacy International]
Someone better versed in app privacy policies could answer if all companies have to swear to comply with law enforcement or not, to let you know if this is standard practice or company policy decision. That person isn't me, but EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) would be a good place to start, as well as reading blog posts/Twitter threads from Cory Doctorow, who has a LOT of informative things to say about surveillance capitalism and how to defeat it. EFF also has some further suggestions to keep you and your digital footprint safe (some of it pretty basic stuff that Tumblr has shared before <3): Digital Security and Privacy Tips for Those Involved in Abortion Access
Meanwhile:
For those who have really good paper systems for tracking your periods, please do share if you feel comfortable doing so. I'd be glad to reblog this with links to your posts about them. (I hope it goes without saying "don't screenshot your period journal" - best to instead come up with a bogus example or template of how you do it.)
