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But the landscape of women’s health tech is changing rapidly.
The appeal of this technology is clear.
However, with this convenience comes a major concern: privacy.
When you input personal information into these apps, do you really know who is handling your data?
How secure is it?
And in countries where abortion laws are becoming increasingly restrictive, could this data be used against you?
Women’s health data shared anonymously and aggregated could help women stay healthier longer and live better lives.
Personalized data insights could also empower people to share more with healthcare providers and prevent diseases, she says.
However, the same data in the wrong hands could be used for harmful purposes.
Navigating the complexities of health data laws
Buckle up, because this gets a little complex.
HIPAA only protects health information held by specific healthcare providers, Watson explains.
Data on yourApple WatchorFitbit, or genetic data on Ancestry.com, are usually not covered.
This is especially concerning in the US.
But if you still want to benefit from health tracking tech, you could take precautions.
Watson advises that women find solutions that dont require them to use their real information.
Ask yourself: Why do I have to input my email address?
What purpose is there for sharing my contact information?
Hintzsche suggests we focus less on the data we share and share it with.
I know its not fun.
Im a tech journalist, and I even skim over them too fast.
But we should all be more mindful about what were signing up to more often.
Hintzsche suggests three red flags to watch for: Is there a privacy policy?
If not, thats a huge red flag dont download it.
Next, check the Data Collection section.
Some apps collect everything; others only collect one or two data points.
Finally, look at Data Sharing.
When it comes to app data, sharing often means selling.
If they dont have this section, you should probably stay as far away from this app as possible.
She also advises looking for terms like encrypted and anonymized in privacy policies.
These green flags indicate the app developers are at least somewhat concerned with privacy, Hintzsche says.
Daniels adds, A privacy policy should be updated at least once a year.
An outdated policy is a sign that privacy isnt a key priority.
Look for detailed explanations of how the company protects your data.
If this seems daunting, there are unbiased resources that can help.
But unfortunately not every app or tool is currently on there.
Which means the responsibility still lies with you.
Hintzsche says, Safe is relative.
Data breaches can happen.
But she doesnt think this means we should ditch tech or useful tools altogether.
We just need to learn all we can and enter into agreements with our eyes wide open.
When it comes to digital privacy, knowledge is power.
Understanding what data you share and with whom is key to not being caught off guard.
