It is a fact of life that we freely give a lot of this information to app companies every day. There’s no doubt that health and wellness apps take advantage of people’s best-kept secrets despite having poorly defined terms of service and privacy policies.
In the aftermath of Roe v. Wade, app users are now worried about their most personal health information being misused. In addition to pregnancy, there are several other factors to consider regarding outside access to your personal information.
Privacy and technology experts explain all you need to know about apps and data, plus building your cyber shield.
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How Can Health Apps Use Data?
Leah Fowler, research director, said, “More than you’d expect, TBH. “Our intuition is that if the information is related to health somehow, it’s special and protected. But as a general matter, that’s not true.”
As soon as you open a health app, it collects a slew of information: your contact info, location as it searches cell towers, connects to Wi-Fi and locates GPS signals, and even your phone behavior.
How Does This Harm Us?
Some ask: Is it a big deal if an app gets my workouts, diet, or other body info? Ultimately, Fowler says that knowledge is power, so you don’t need to lose sleep over this.
As a result of hacking 30 apps used to connect patients with health care providers, a hacker was able to access a wealth of personal information like test results, medication prescriptions, and even family data.
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Should You Delete Your Period-Tracking App?
Kat Green, managing director, said, “People have been criminalized for their pregnancy outcomes for ages.” It is essential to look for a privacy policy that states the company won’t sell or share data with third parties and keeps data either locally or in solid end-to-end encryption.
There are some apps that make powerful claims about protecting users. Think critically about the claims. Consumer Reports recommends Drip, Euki, and Periodical as period tracking apps.
How This Affects Your Privacy
While federal regulations remain lax and few states have comprehensive privacy laws, you must urge the market and elected officials to do better. Fowler reminds us that privacy is crucial. Taking control of your digital life and relationships can help promote a culture that values personal security.