Delete These Apps Immediately: Why Your Period Tracker Is a Digital Trap

In 2022, the Supreme Court overturned the federal right to abortion access in the United States, leaving the door open for many states to pass abortion bans. Following the court's decision, many states passed legislation to prevent or penalize abortions and limit access to certain kinds of reproductive healthcare. Period tracking data could be used against women of childbearing age in these states, which is why it's wise to delete any apps that you're using to store information about your body's menstruation or ovulation cycles, and keep your data to yourself. I'll show you how.

Why Your Cycle History Is Suddenly a Target

For those who've never used a period tracker, the apps allow you to store data about your fertility and any related symptoms you experience each month. The apps are helpful if you're trying to have a baby or just want to monitor your monthly cycles. Having that kind of data at your fingertips can help you accurately describe a health concern to a doctor.

Period trackers can pose a danger to people in states with abortion bans because, like many apps, menstrual trackers collect and store customers' data, sometimes on your device, and sometimes in the cloud. That information may be shared with third parties, including law enforcement, looking for evidence that someone had an abortion. Even if you haven't had an abortion, a record of a missed period could be considered evidence of a crime.

In addition to concerns about being arrested, your data may also be provided to and analyzed by advertisers on the period-tracking platform. Most of the period tracking apps I've examined allow third-party advertising trackers, which isn't ideal. And even the best period-tracking apps could be dangerous if your data falls into the wrong hands.

Ultimately, you should do everything you can to control who has access to your personal data, whether you can bear children or not.

For example, Planned Parenthood's Spot On period-tracking app states in its privacy policy that it may share your personal information with third-party affiliates and law enforcement. Some of your information in the Spot On app may also be shared with researchers. 

Flo is another popular app with many helpful features, such as colorful calendars, a symptoms log, and informative articles about menstruation, fertility, and pregnancy. It also has an extremely detailed, easy-to-read privacy policy in its Trust and Safety portal that outlines the app's data retention and sharing practices. Flo doesn't sell your personal data to third parties, such as data brokers, which is great. It does, however, comply with law enforcement requests for personal data. Also, if the app is ever sold to another company, all the information Flo has stored about you will be sold as well.

3 Safer Alternatives to Popular Period Trackers

The three methods listed below aren't as straightforward and easy to use as popular period-tracking apps, but they're more private.

1. Apple Health and Google Fit (Fewer Gatekeepers)

Apple's Health app has a period-tracking option. You can enter all kinds of information about your body, including sexual activity, period symptoms, and pregnancy test results. Google's Fit app has a journal where you can also enter health data. Yes, you're sharing your health data with Apple or Google, which isn't ideal, but keeping that data on one platform instead of several third-party platforms will limit your data's exposure in breaches or other security incidents.

Remember to check your Apple device's sharing settings. If you've ever shared health data with someone, they may still have access to your information, so turn off sharing in the Health app.

2. The Coded Calendar Method

Entering detailed reproductive health information into the calendar app on your smartphone or computer isn't the most secure option on our list, since law enforcement can search your devices. Still, it is very easy to obscure the information. Simply enter an emoji or character on the calendar to designate your cycle's beginning and end dates—there is no need for other details.

Secure your devices and any logins with a passcode or biometric authentication. Computer and mobile device calendars usually allow for syncing, which means someone else could see your data if they gain physical access to any of your devices.

Of course, tracking your period with a pen-and-paper calendar is also an option, though it leaves physical evidence that may be easy for law enforcement to obtain.

3. Offline Spreadsheets (Maximum Control)

You can store a spreadsheet containing your health data on your device without linking it to the cloud. You can download attractive templates from various online sources, but creating a simple tracking spreadsheet is easy. Aliza Aufrichtig, a graphics and multimedia editor at The New York Times , wrote this guide for creating a private period tracker using Google Sheets . You can even set up email and calendar integrations, though I recommend against this option since it leaves an online digital trail. Google Sheets stores your data in the cloud, which isn't ideal, but you can follow the instructions Aufrichtig provides to create a similar offline spreadsheet in Excel.

Can Any Period App Truly Be Trusted?

Recently, researchers at AV Test, a security institute, analyzed the tracking data and privacy policies of several popular Android cycle-tracking applications. In the end, the team's top picks for privacy-focused period-tracking apps were LadyCycle and Clue , with notable kudos for LadyCycle because the app doesn't include advertising tracking.

Ultimately, you should do everything you can to control who has access to your personal data, whether you can bear children or not. Read app privacy policies carefully before using them on your devices. That advice is doubly important when it comes to your health data. While the information you share with your doctor or other healthcare provider is protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), those rules do not apply to any health-related data you enter into an app. That information can be sold to data brokers, who can hand it over to anyone.

Finally, don't divulge any information on an app you want to keep a secret. Data breaches happen constantly , and the health information you thought was secure today could be in the hands of a hacker tomorrow. Keep your health data offline or encrypted to protect it.

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