{"id":474704,"date":"2022-07-16T18:00:38","date_gmt":"2022-07-16T15:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/submitting-junk-data-to-period-tracking-apps-wont-protect-reproductive-privacy\/"},"modified":"2022-07-16T18:00:38","modified_gmt":"2022-07-16T15:00:38","slug":"submitting-junk-data-to-period-tracking-apps-wont-protect-reproductive-privacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/submitting-junk-data-to-period-tracking-apps-wont-protect-reproductive-privacy\/","title":{"rendered":"#Submitting junk data to period tracking apps won\u2019t protect reproductive privacy"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6aee757703316\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6aee757703316\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/submitting-junk-data-to-period-tracking-apps-wont-protect-reproductive-privacy\/#%E2%80%9CSubmitting_junk_data_to_period_tracking_apps_wont_protect_reproductive_privacy%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Submitting junk data to period tracking apps won\u2019t protect reproductive privacy&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/submitting-junk-data-to-period-tracking-apps-wont-protect-reproductive-privacy\/#Does_your_fintech_have_global_ambitions\" >Does your fintech have global ambitions?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/submitting-junk-data-to-period-tracking-apps-wont-protect-reproductive-privacy\/#How_the_apps_work\" >How the apps work<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/submitting-junk-data-to-period-tracking-apps-wont-protect-reproductive-privacy\/#What_submitting_junk_data_accomplishes\" >What submitting junk data accomplishes<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/submitting-junk-data-to-period-tracking-apps-wont-protect-reproductive-privacy\/#Other_approaches_to_protecting_privacy\" >Other approaches to protecting privacy<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/submitting-junk-data-to-period-tracking-apps-wont-protect-reproductive-privacy\/#What_do_we_really_need\" >What do we really need?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CSubmitting_junk_data_to_period_tracking_apps_wont_protect_reproductive_privacy%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Submitting junk data to period tracking apps won\u2019t protect reproductive privacy&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div id=\"article-main-content\">\n                            <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Social media<\/a> users posted ideas about how to protect people\u2019s reproductive privacy when the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2022\/06\/24\/1102305878\/supreme-court-abortion-roe-v-wade-decision-overturn\">Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade<\/a>, including entering <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kaleidobarks\/status\/1541589930501033986\">\u201cjunk\u201d data into apps designed for tracking menstrual cycles<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1145\/3025453.3025635\">People use period tracking apps to<\/a> predict their next period, talk to their doctor about their cycle and identify when they are fertile. Users log everything from cravings to period flow, and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>s provide predictions based on these inputs. The app predictions help with simple decisions, like when to buy tampons next, and provide life-changing observations, like whether you\u2019re pregnant.<\/p>\n<p>The argument for submitting junk data is that doing so will <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trip<\/a> up the apps\u2019 algorithms, making it difficult or impossible for authorities or vigilantes to use the data to violate people\u2019s privacy. That argument, however, doesn\u2019t hold water.<\/p>\n<div class=\"inarticle-wrapper channel-cta\">\n<div class=\"ica-text\">\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_your_fintech_have_global_ambitions\"><\/span>Does your fintech have global ambitions?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Before you consider expansion, check out our handy checklist<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>As <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?user=-R9W7IkAAAAJ&amp;hl=en\">researchers<\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?user=eAys7JgAAAAJ&amp;hl=en\">who develop<\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?user=xXYaU8YAAAAJ&amp;hl=en\">and evaluate<\/a> technologies that help people manage their health, we analyze how app companies collect data from their users to provide useful services. We know that for popular period tracking applications, millions of people would need to input junk data to even nudge the algorithm.<\/p>\n<p>Also, junk data is a form of \u201cnoise,\u201d which is an inherent problem that developers design algorithms to be robust against. Even if junk data successfully \u201cconfused\u201d the algorithm or provided too much data for authorities to investigate, the success would be short-lived because the app would be less accurate for its intended purpose and people would stop using it.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, it wouldn\u2019t solve existing privacy concerns because people\u2019s digital footprints are everywhere, from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/impending-demise-of-roe-v-wade-puts-a-spotlight-on-a-major-privacy-risk-your-phone-reveals-more-about-you-than-you-think-182504\">internet searches to phone app use and location tracking<\/a>. This is why advice urging people to delete their period tracking apps is <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/06\/30\/technology\/period-tracker-privacy-abortion.html\">well-intentioned but off the mark<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_the_apps_work\"><\/span>How the apps work<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When you first open an app, you input your age, date of your last period, how long your cycle is and what type of birth control you use. Some apps connect to other apps like physical activity trackers. You record relevant information, including when your period starts, cramps, discharge consistency, cravings, sex drive, sexual activity, mood and flow heaviness.<\/p>\n<p>Once you give your data to the period app company, it is unclear exactly what happens to it because the algorithms are proprietary and part of the business model of the company. Some apps ask for the user\u2019s cycle length, which people may not know. Indeed, researchers found that 25.3% of people said that their cycle had the oft-cited duration of 28 days; however, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/hropen\/hoaa011\">only 12.4% actually had a 28-day cycle<\/a>. So if an app used the data that you input to make predictions about you, it may take a few cycles for the app to calculate your cycle length and more accurately predict the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.healthline.com\/health\/womens-health\/stages-of-menstrual-cycle\">phases of your cycle<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>An app could make predictions based on all the data the app company has collected from its users or based on your demographics. For example, the app\u2019s algorithm knows that a person with a higher body mass index <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2196%2F17109\">might have a 36-day cycle<\/a>. Or it could use a hybrid approach that makes predictions based on your data but compares it with the company\u2019s large data set from all its users to let you know what\u2019s typical \u2013 for example, that a majority of people report having cramps right before their period.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_submitting_junk_data_accomplishes\"><\/span>What submitting junk data accomplishes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If you regularly use a period tracking app and give it inaccurate data, the app\u2019s personalized predictions, like when your next period will occur, could likewise become inaccurate. If your cycle is 28 days and you start logging that your cycle is now 36 days, the app should adjust \u2013 even if that new information is false.<\/p>\n<p>But what about the data in aggregate? The simplest way to combine data from multiple users is to average them. For example, the most popular period tracking app, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/flo.health\/\">Flo<\/a>, has an estimated 230 million users. Imagine three cases: a single user, the average of 230 million users and the average of 230 million users plus 3.5 million users submitting junk data.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"align-center zoomable\">\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/472900\/original\/file-20220706-22456-z1n7gv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px\" alt=\"A line graph showing 0 to 15 on the x-axis and -2 to 2 on the y-axis. One line is jagged, while two other lines appear as smooth sine waves. There's a small difference between the the two sine waves, visible as a difference in the size of the peaks and troughs.\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" class=\"js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/472900\/original\/file-20220706-22456-z1n7gv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/472900\/original\/file-20220706-22456-z1n7gv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/472900\/original\/file-20220706-22456-z1n7gv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/472900\/original\/file-20220706-22456-z1n7gv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/472900\/original\/file-20220706-22456-z1n7gv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/472900\/original\/file-20220706-22456-z1n7gv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/472900\/original\/file-20220706-22456-z1n7gv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/472900\/original\/file-20220706-22456-z1n7gv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" alt=\"A line graph showing 0 to 15 on the x-axis and -2 to 2 on the y-axis. One line is jagged, while two other lines appear as smooth sine waves. There's a small difference between the the two sine waves, visible as a difference in the size of the peaks and troughs.\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" class=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/472900\/original\/file-20220706-22456-z1n7gv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/472900\/original\/file-20220706-22456-z1n7gv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/472900\/original\/file-20220706-22456-z1n7gv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/472900\/original\/file-20220706-22456-z1n7gv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/472900\/original\/file-20220706-22456-z1n7gv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/472900\/original\/file-20220706-22456-z1n7gv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><figcaption><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"#\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Feditorial.thenextweb.com%2Ftech%2F2022%2F07%2F16%2Fjunk-data-period-tracking-apps-wont-protect-reproductive-privacy%2F&amp;via=thenextweb&amp;related=thenextweb&amp;text=Check out this picture on: The blue line represents a single user. The orange line is the average of 230 million users. The green line combines 230 million users submitting good data with 3.5 million users submitting junk data. Note that there is little difference between the orange and green lines. Alexander Lee Hayes, CC BY-SA\" data-title=\"Share The blue line represents a single user. The orange line is the average of 230 million users. The green line combines 230 million users submitting good data with 3.5 million users submitting junk data. Note that there is little difference between the orange and green lines. Alexander Lee Hayes, CC BY-SA on Twitter\" data-width=\"685\" data-height=\"500\" class=\"post-image-share popitup\" title=\"Share The blue line represents a single user. The orange line is the average of 230 million users. The green line combines 230 million users submitting good data with 3.5 million users submitting junk data. Note that there is little difference between the orange and green lines. Alexander Lee Hayes, CC BY-SA on Twitter\"><i class=\"icon icon--inline icon--twitter--dark\"\/><\/a>The blue line represents a single user. The orange line is the average of 230 million users. The green line combines 230 million users submitting good data with 3.5 million users submitting junk data. Note that there is little difference between the orange and green lines. Alexander Lee Hayes, CC BY-SA<\/figcaption><\/figure><figcaption><span class=\"attribution\"\/><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>An individual\u2019s data may be noisy, but the underlying trend is more obvious when averaged over many users, smoothing out the noise to make the trend more obvious. Junk data is just another type of noise. The difference between the clean and fouled data is noticeable, but the overall trend in the data is still obvious.<\/p>\n<p>This simple example illustrates three problems. People who submit junk data are unlikely to affect predictions for any individual app user. It would take an extraordinary amount of work to shift the underlying signal across the whole population. And even if this occurred, poisoning the data risks making the app useless for those who need it.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Other_approaches_to_protecting_privacy\"><\/span>Other approaches to protecting privacy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In response to people\u2019s concerns about their period app data being used against them, some period apps made public statements about creating an <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/flo.health\/press-center\/flo-launches-anonymous-mode\">anonymous mode<\/a>, using <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thestardustapp.com\/privacypolicy\">end-to-end encryption<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/helloclue.com\/articles\/abortion\/clue-s-response-to-roe-vs-wade\">following European privacy laws<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The security of any \u201canonymous mode\u201d hinges on what it actually does. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/flo.health\/press-center\/flo-launches-anonymous-mode\">Flo\u2019s statement<\/a> says that the company will de-identify data by removing names, email addresses and technical identifiers. Removing names and email addresses is a good start, but the company doesn\u2019t define what they mean by technical identifiers.<\/p>\n<p>With Texas paving the road to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2021\/09\/03\/texas-republican-abortion-civil-lawsuits\/\">legally sue anyone aiding anyone else seeking an abortion<\/a>, and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/dataprivacylab.org\/projects\/identifiability\/paper1.pdf\">87% of people in the U.S. identifiable by minimal demographic information like ZIP code, gender and date of birth<\/a>, any demographic data or identifier has the potential to harm people seeking reproductive health care. There is a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/data-insecurity-leads-to-economic-injustice-and-hits-the-pocketbooks-of-the-poor-most-116231\">massive market for user data<\/a>, primarily for targeted advertising, that makes it possible to learn a frightening amount about nearly anyone in the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>While end-to-end encryption and the European <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General<\/a> Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) can protect your data from legal inquiries, unfortunately none of these solutions help with the digital footprints everyone leaves behind with everyday use of <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a>. Even users\u2019 search histories can identify <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1145\/2702123.2702427\">how far along they are in pregnancy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_do_we_really_need\"><\/span>What do we really need?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Instead of brainstorming ways to circumvent technology to decrease potential harm and legal trouble, we believe that people should advocate for <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/arxiv.org\/pdf\/2012.08571.pdf\">digital privacy protections and restrictions of data usage and sharing<\/a>. Companies should effectively communicate and receive feedback from people about how their data is being used, their risk level for exposure to potential harm, and the value of their data to the company.<\/p>\n<p>People have been <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/fact-tank\/2019\/11\/15\/key-takeaways-on-americans-views-about-privacy-surveillance-and-data-sharing\/\">concerned about digital data collection<\/a> in recent years. However, in a post-Roe world, more people can be placed at legal risk for doing standard health tracking.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/186257\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\"\/><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --><\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/186257\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p><em>Article by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/katie-siek-908481\">Katie Siek<\/a>, Professor and Chair of Informatics, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/indiana-university-1368\">Indiana University<\/a>; <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/alexander-l-hayes-1358982\">Alexander L. Hayes<\/a>, Ph.D. Student in Health Informatics, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/indiana-university-1368\">Indiana University<\/a>, and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/zaidat-ibrahim-1358983\">Zaidat Ibrahim<\/a>, Ph.D student in Health Informatics, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/indiana-university-1368\">Indiana University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This article is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/no-submitting-junk-data-to-period-tracking-apps-wont-protect-reproductive-privacy-186257\">original article<\/a>.<\/em>\n                        <\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/junk-data-period-tracking-apps-wont-protect-reproductive-privacy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Submitting junk data to period tracking apps won\u2019t protect reproductive privacy&#8221; Social media users posted ideas about how to protect people\u2019s reproductive privacy when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, including entering \u201cjunk\u201d data into apps designed for tracking menstrual cycles. People use period tracking apps to predict their next period, talk to their&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":474705,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/tnw?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/07\/Period-Tracking_.jpg&signature=db49c8c51989d0332552529d9f377b8a","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-474704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474704","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=474704"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474704\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/474705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=474704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=474704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=474704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}