Put user wellbeing ahead of profits, femtech developers urged amid data fears

Developers of women’s health apps must prioritise the wellbeing of their users, a cybersecurity expert has warned in the wake of revelations about widespread data privacy failings.

In a bid to increase their profits, app developers share their users’ data for advertisement and marketing purposes with third parties like Google or Facebook, a recent report from ORCHA shows.

Experts warn that free women’s health apps “hide” data collection practices, leaving thousands of users at risk.

“Data is the new oil,” says Muhammad Ikram, lecturer at the Macquarie University Cyber Security Hub in Sydney.

“App developers want to keep their services free and, in order to generate money, providers like Google act as third parties between the user and the app developer. Their interest is to keep everyone happy while maximising their profits.”

Tech giants often take advantage of people who are not very tech savvy and may be overwhelmed by “the lengthy and difficult to comprehend terms and conditions”.

“Because there are many conflicting interests involved, it’s almost impossible to know whether a company uses their data for research,” the expert adds.

The recent ORCHA report found that nearly 70 per cent of the women’s health apps it analysed share their data for “marketing purposes” and only 40 per cent of them said they shared it for “research”.

The poor communication between law enforcement agencies and service providers makes it difficult to enforce data protection policies, says Ikram.

“The disconnect among key stakeholders is one of the main reasons why policy enforcement leads to non-compliance.

“We need more compassion towards the users. I think app developers should be more transparent and explain the purpose of their research to allow people to make an informed decision.”

Following a US supreme court’s decision to end the constitutional right to abortion, women are worried that soon their data could be used against them. 

Cindy Moy Carr, the founder of the UK-based menopause platform, MySysters, says that Roe v Wade is a step backwards for women’s safety.

“The fact that data protection is not guaranteed can have huge consequences that we’re not even aware of.”

Amid fears police could use tracking apps to prosecute those seeking care, some apps have announced a system of differential privacy – in which they are describing the patterns of groups within the dataset while withholding information about individuals. However, Ikram says that users should remain cautious.

Developers fear that the users may not be trusting the app and in order to gain that trust, they implement anonymity features.

“But we need more regulation to ensure the use of data responsibly. I would advise people to have a closer look at the permissions these apps are asking for and at the extent to which they can monitor their activity.”