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Period-tracking apps pose ‘significant risks’ for users, new report finds
- The University of Cambridge’s Minderoo Centre published a report on June 10, 2025, warning that menstrual cycle tracking apps pose significant risks beyond targeted advertising.
- The report highlights that these apps collect vast intimate data, which companies sell for profit, a practice intensified after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022.
- The combined downloads worldwide for the top three period tracking apps surpassed 250 million in 2024, with these apps representing half of the femtech industry, which is projected to be worth more than $60 billion by 2027.
- Dr. Stefanie Felsberger, the study’s lead researcher, highlighted concerns that information from menstrual tracking apps is being exploited in ways that affect individuals' reproductive decisions, emphasizing the need for stronger industry regulation and clearer consent practices.
- The report urges public health bodies to develop non-commercial apps, like an NHS alternative, to protect users, mitigate privacy risks, and provide ethical access to menstrual data.
47 Articles
47 Articles
Period tracking app users warned of 'frightening safety risks' amid data concerns - The Mirror
Period tracking apps may pose a huge privacy risk to users amid concerns about companies selling the data, according to a recent report from the University of Cambridge
Menstrual Tracking Apps Collecting Personal Data Which Can Be ‘Sold at Scale’: Report
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have said that period-tracking apps on women’s smartphones may be collecting their personal data which can be “sold at scale” and used for targeted advertising. Cambridge’s Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy said in its report published on Wednesday that like other forms of health data, cycle tracking app (CTA) data are a “veritable gold mine for consumer profiling” because of the insights the…
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Study warns period apps selling women’s private data for massive profits
Digital products focused on women’s health and well-being are estimated to be worth over $60 billion by 2027.
Menstrual tracking apps collect sensitive data, raising privacy and safety concerns
Smartphone apps that track menstrual cycles are a "gold mine" for consumer profiling, collecting information on everything from exercise, diet and medication to sexual preferences, hormone levels and contraception use, according to a University of Cambridge report.
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