Study calls for NHS to launch period tracking apps to protect women
11/06/2025 | The Guardian
New research by the University of Cambridge warns that period and fertility tracking apps jeopardise women's safety and privacy by harvesting and selling highly sensitive personal data. Researchers found these apps collect intimate details on women's health, reproductive choices, diet, medication, sexual preferences, hormone levels, and contraception use, creating a "gold mine" for commercial profiling concerning pregnancy aspirations.
The use of such "commercially valuable" data, which is shared with numerous third parties in order to target users for advertising, poses "severe security risks." Experts caution that data misuse could lead to health insurance discrimination, compromised job prospects, or even domestic abuse. The study calls for stricter data security, "meaningful consent options," and improved corporate governance within the "femtech" industry. The authors also recommend public health bodies like the NHS launch safe alternatives to commercial apps designed to profit from selling user data.
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