Period Data ‘Gold Mine’ Poses Serious Health and Safety Risks, Report Finds

Applications that help people follow their menstrual cycle are “gold mines” for advertisers, warns a new report. Advertisers use this very precious data for customer profiling, which allows them to adapt marketing campaigns to specific consumer groups.

The report, published by the Minderoo Center for Technology and Democracy from Cambridge University On Tuesday, June 10, explains that the risks for applications users go far beyond targeted ads. When this data falls into bad hands, it can affect user employment prospects and lead to monitoring of the workplace, discrimination in health insurance and cyberstaling. It has even been used to limit access to abortion in the United States, warns the study.

Hundreds of millions of people use period monitoring applications. A 2024 study estimated that the number of world downloads for the three most popular applications exceeds 250 million. These platforms are managed by companies that take advantage of the mountain of user data they collect, in particular pregnancy data. According to the report of the University of Cambridge, data on pregnancy is 200 times more precious for advertisers than data on age, sex or location.

The surveys carried out in 2019 and 2020 by Privacy International, a non-profit organization based in the United Kingdom, revealed that several applications directly common Personal data with advertisers. A follow -up study published on May 28 find that even if major menstrual application companies have improved their data confidentiality approach, they still collect data from devices to Users in the United Kingdom and the United States without “significant consent”.

Stefanie Felsberger, sociologist and principal author of the report of the University of Cambridge, interviewed users of period monitoring apps in Austria to understand why they use them and what they follow. She was surprised to note that many people she spoke with did not think of their menstrual data as personal or intimate and did not know its incredible commercial value.

“Period monitoring applications collect a large number of different types of information,” Felsberger told Gizmodo. “They do not only collect information on the menstrual cycle as such, they also collect information on the reproductive choices of people, sexual activities, their well-being, their health, their health, their health, their health, their health, their health, their health, their health, their health, their health, their health [and] Drug contribution, ”she said.

“We have limited and modified knowledge about how and the way this data has been shared and which has access to it,” said Felsberger.

In the United States, menstrual follow-up applications are regulated as general well-being devices, so that the data they collect do not obtain any special legal protection, she explained. Advertisers are not the only ones who can use this lack of backup to access menstrual data. Government representatives can also get their hands on this information and use it to restrict access to abortion.

Felsberger’s report highlights two of these cases, although in these cases, menstrual data did not specifically come from period monitoring applications. However, they illustrate how governments can use this information to limit access to abortion at state and federal levels.

In 2019, the Missouri State Department of State used menstrual monitoring data to investigate failed abortions. They also followed the medical identification numbers of patients, the gestational age of the fetus and the dates of medical procedures. Following this investigation, the state tried to retain The License of the Planned Parenthood clinic of St. Louis – the only supplier of abortion of the State at the time. This led to a one -year legal battle that ultimately restored the clinic license.

During the first administration of President Donald Trump, the Federal Office of Resettlement of Refugees followed the menstrual cycles of unaccompanied minors in search of asylum in the United States, they aimed to prevent these minors from obtaining abortions even in the event of rape. A request for freedom of information by MSNBC discovered A calculation sheet containing dates of the menstrual cycles of minors, lengths of their pregnancies, if sex had been consensual and if they had asked for an abortion.

These cases highlight the dangers of not protecting the data of monitoring from the user period, especially in a post-dobbs world. Since Roe c. Wade was canceled in 2022, access to abortion has become deeply fragmented in the United States, this procedure is currently forbidden In 13 states and access is considerably limited in 11 additional states.

In the European Union and the United Kingdom, the applications for monitoring periods have more legal protections. “But they are not often very well implemented,” said Felsberger. Their privacy policies tend to be “very vague”, which makes users difficult to understand who can access their data.

“Developers and application companies have a great responsibility, because they present themselves as offering people this opportunity to find out about their menstrual cycles,” she said. “I think they should also do their best to ensure the security of people’s data and be transparent about how they use the data.” There is also a need for stronger federal regulations, especially in the United States, she added.

Since these applications provide precious health information, it is not realistic to expect that users stop using them entirely. But Felsberger recommends going to non -commercial period monitoring applications that provide more confidentiality of data. These platforms are managed by non -profit organizations or research institutions that will not share your information with third parties.

While the landscape of reproductive health is becoming more and more treacherous in the United States, understanding how third parties can use your menstrual data has never been so important.

“Manstrual monitoring data is used to control people’s reproductive life,” Felsberger said in a university statement. “It should not be left in the hands of private companies.”