Period-tracking apps scramble to anonymize user data over concerns that states could use it in potential abortion cases

Ditched the app... But probably not the data. People are deleting their period-tracking apps in response to the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Social media posts have sparked fears that menstruation data could be subpoenaed by authorities in states where abortion is outlawed and used as evidence in potential criminal cases. Now, fertility apps are taking steps to anonymize user data.

• Flo, the #1 period-tracker, said it’ll launch a feature called “Anonymous Mode” to give users the option of removing their personal info.
• Clue, another popular period and fertility app, saw a 2,200% boost in downloads over the weekend after saying that it won't share sensitive data with states.
• Natural Cycles, the first FDA-approved birth-control app, is trying to build a “completely anonymous experience for users.”
• Apple says data from its popular health app already can't be shared or sold since it's end-to-end encrypted.

Sensitive info… Millions of women, transgender, and nonbinary people rely on these apps to help them track their periods, avoid pregnancy, or become pregnant. But unlike data shared with healthcare providers, data from health apps isn’t typically HIPAA protected. Now, app developers are scrambling to ensure that they don’t have user-specific info to share in the first place.