Some San Jose State community members expressed concerns about data collection by commonly used period-tracking apps and the future of technology in a post-Roe era.
After the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on June 24, many women across the U.S. have questioned the privacy risks of apps and location technology that could be used against them in potential criminal cases regarding abortion, according to a June 24 NBC Bay Area article.
Biology junior Vanessa Guido said after the overturn decision, she deleted the Flo app from her phone but has yet to delete her profile.
“I think I have the location settings on [my phone] but I have so many apps I don’t keep track,” Guido said in an email. “I’m not exactly careful because so much of my data has probably been out already.”
Flo is a menstrual health app that helps users track the stages of their reproductive cycle and provides experts and tools to help them improve their health, according to its website.
Guido said moving forward, she’ll track the old fashioned way and chart her menstrual cycle on paper.
“[I’m] not tech savvy. I try my best to keep my data from being sold and found by third parties but I can only do so much,” she said. “Unless I don’t use smartphones and technology with the internet, it seems impossible to have privacy.”
Guido said for the sake of her privacy, she’ll be more attentive to app permissions.
“I’m worried about my privacy and I believe it’s wrong for the concept of data brokers to exist,” she said.
Data brokers aggregate information from a variety of sources, process it to cleanse or analyze and license it to other organizations, according to Gartner Glossary.
Gartner is a company that provides guidance and tools for organizations, according to its website.
Law enforcement could crack down on a large number of people at once by issuing a broad subpoena or buying information in bulk. By using geofence or other location data, law enforcement can find those who’ve visited a clinic. Combined with health data, the information can be more revealing, according to a June 24 Scientific American YouTube video.
Engineering professor Ahmed Banafa said geofencing is a location-based service that allows apps or other software programs to use radio frequency identification (RFID), Wi-Fi, GPS or cellular data to trigger a targeted-marketing action when a mobile device or RFID tag enters a virtual geographic boundary.
“A simple example of geofencing is when a young woman walks near a Sephora retailer at the mall and receives an app notification that says: ‘Today only! Buy one lipstick, get one lipstick free,’ ” Banafa said in an email. “You can track a consumer’s location through GPS, Bluetooth and beacons.”
Banafa said geotargeting is focused on delivering targeted advertising to desktop users based on their location and beaconing is transmitting targeted messages and information to nearby mobile devices.
The difference is that geofencing concentrates on the virtual perimeter built around a specific geographic location to deliver targeted messaging, he said.
“The best way is to go analog and use the old way to follow period times to be safe or you can use an app that’s based in Europe where privacy is under control with laws like General Data Protection Regulation are applied, for example, [the] free Clue app,” Banafa said.
Like Guido, sociology junior Chinna Burns uses the Belarus-based Flo app to track her menstrual cycle. She said she isn’t “too worried” but with the evolution of technology having both positive and negative outcomes, she will continue to “stay on the lookout.”
“This whole situation is just a scarier and scarier time for women. I have to look closely [at the data permissions] and see what I think about the app,” Burns said in an email.
She said the app will stay on her phone as it helps her keep track and schedule around her menstrual cycle and ensure her health is “OK.”
“[It also helps] me educate myself about my body and health and how I can protect myself,” Burns said. “That’s always a plus for me.”
Following the Supreme Court ruling, the Flo company announced in a tweet it will launch a new “anonymous mode” that removes personal identity from an individual's account so that “no one” can identify them.
Banafa said Roe v. Wade's overturn is a “big deal,” influencing all aspects of American society.
“This will push the narrative of privacy to the front and center of attention of tech companies with access to such data,” he said. “Privacy will now be paramount and not just a feature, it’s a matter of saving lives.”
