New research has found that some period tracker apps are sharing nearly millions of women’s sensitive data with Facebook.
According to Buzzfeed, UK-based advocacy group Privacy International discovered period-tracking apps, including MIA Fem and Maya, had sent women’s use of contraception, the timings of their monthly periods, symptoms like swelling and cramps, and more, directly to Facebook.
MIA Fem: Ovulation Calculator, owned by Cyprus-based Mobapp Development Limited, says it has more than 2 million users around the world and is available via App Store. Maya, owned by India-based Plackal Tech, has more than 5 million downloads and is available via the App Store and Google Play.
Amid the news, Facebook revealed it had gotten in touch with the apps Privacy International to discuss possible violations of its terms of service, including sending prohibited sensitive information.
However, Privacy Internation found that the period tracker app Maya informs Facebook whenever you open the app and starts sharing some data with Facebook even before agreeing to the app’s privacy policy.
“When Maya asks you to enter how you feel and offers suggestions of symptoms you might have — suggestions like blood pressure, swelling or acne — one would hope this data would be treated with extra care,” as said in the report. “But no, that information is shared with Facebook.”
Maya’s owner, Plackal Tech, said it does not share any personally identifiable data or medical data with Facebook.
However, when Buzzfeed News attempted to reach out to Maya, they were warned to not quote anything from email correspondence between Privacy International and Maya on copyright grounds.
A Facebook spokesperson stated the platform requires app developers to be clear with users about the information they are sharing with Facebook and have a “lawful basis” for the disclosure and use of data according to the article.
“We have systems in place to detect and delete certain types of data such as Social Security Numbers, passwords, and other personal data, such as email or phone number,” the spokesperson shared. “We have begun looking at ways to improve our system and products to detect and filter out more types of potentially sensitive data.”
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