As Consumer Reports’ Digital Lab found in a recent examination of five popular period tracking apps—BabyCenter, Clue, Flo, My Calendar, and Ovia—even anonymous users have no guarantee that their information won’t be shared in some way with third parties for marketing and other purposes.

Having your personal health information disseminated in ways you’re unaware of could have serious repercussions, says Dena Mendelsohn, CR’s senior counsel on privacy and technology policy. It could, for instance, affect your ability to obtain life insurance and how much you pay for that coverage, increase the interest rate you’re charged on loans, and even leave you vulnerable to workplace discrimination. And because you usually don’t know who has your data, you may never know if you’ve experienced any of those harms.

Hat-tip Alyssa Jocson Porter!

Read more:

Rosato, D. (2020, January 28). What your period tracker app knows about you. Consumer Reports. https://www.consumerreports.org/health-privacy/what-your-period-tracker-app-knows-about-you/