The UK data watchdog is to review period and fertility tracking apps after users expressed concerns over data security.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) announced the move after it commissioned research showing that half of women have concerns about how their data is used by the apps.
The poll of more than 1,150 women showed that a third of women have used apps to track their periods or fertility. Women said transparency over how their data was used and how secure it was were bigger concerns – at 59% and 57% of respondents respectively – than cost and ease of use when it came to choosing an app.
More than half of the people who use the apps also noticed an increase in baby or fertility-related adverts after signing up, with 17% finding the adverts distressing.
Emily Keaney, deputy commissioner of regulatory policy at the ICO, said the review intended to establish “both the good and the bad” of how the apps work.
She said: “These statistics suggest data security is a significant concern for women when it comes to choosing an app to track their periods or plan or prevent pregnancy. That’s not surprising, given the incredibly sensitive and personal information involved.
“Once we have more information, we will explore next steps, but we will not hesitate to take regulatory action to protect the public if necessary.”
The regulator will look into identifying potential harms and negative impacts on users. This includes confusing privacy policies that do not allow users to easily understand what they have consented to, whether the apps request and store unnecessary volumes of data and if users are receiving upsetting targeting advertising that they did not sign up to.
The ICO is urging users to come forward with their experiences through a survey in a call for evidence.
In recent years, privacy campaigners have previously warned about menstruation apps unnecessarily storing the personal data of users, including intimate details such as birth control habits.
In 2020, Privacy International, a UK-based charity, conducted a study of five leading apps and found that companies held intimate information on users including questions around when they have yeast infections and how often they see a gynaecologist.
Privacy International also found that some menstruation apps have shared their users personal and intimate details on Facebook, without consent.
