Period tracker

[ysobel]

A lot of people I follow on social media are saying that anyone using period trackers [at least in the US] should delete their info. I think mostly it's "this info can be used against you in case you get an abortion"; I don't know if there's any element of making the general data minimal, like a boycott of sorts.

I live in CA, which has laws protecting reproductive rights, plus it's really damn improbable that I will get pregnant -- there are, shall we say, physical barriers.

Do I need to delete my info? It's really helped being able to see how long my periods are -- I'd been tracking start dates for years but the app makes it easy to track duration as well -- so using an app makes things easier and better for me, but I feel kind of guilty given how emphatic all the "stop using apps" messaging is.

Comments

[branchandroot]

It is not a boycott situation, but a data security issue. If the app makes your life better and easier, and your risk of having that data subpoenaed for use against you is low, I'd say keep using it.

I'm glad that people are finally getting a little more suspicious of their phones and apps, because privacy and security on all of those is historically dreadful, but blanket alarms that give no context are definitely not helping. Please don't make your life worse; that is the exact opposite of our overall goal.

[alexseanchai]

this yes

[azurelunatic]

I don't think you would need to, given your specific situation and California in general

[twistedchick]

If you decide to delete it, you can always use the older method of marking a pocket calendar.

[kaisa]

Or just use a European tracker.

[zhelana]

I think it's just for your protection.

[pauamma]

I just came across https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/06/should-you-really-delete-your-period-tracking-app, which may have information relevant to your decision.