Federal Patient Privacy Law Does Not Cover Most Period-Tracking Apps

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This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1422817

The companies (large and small) need to stop collecting data that will identify people. Because states will come after them for it. Google’s plan to lose location data near reproductive health clinics is a start, but only a start.

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Researchers, according to Peck, will be ā€œcrafting studiesā€ on ā€œthe health fallout for womenā€ and what will ā€œhappenā€ with ā€œabortion rates.ā€

ā€œEconomists will, of course, also look at economics,ā€ Peck notes. ā€œSome household financial impact will happen quickly. For example, pregnancy can force women out of work, and have an immediate effect on families. The (New York Times) profiles a bookkeeper in Texas who was earning $35/hour, but couldn’t access an abortion in Texas. Pregnancy complications forced her out of work. She now relies on a charity program for help.ā€

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But her emails!!!

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I had no idea what a period tracking ap was so I asked. It I have it right you input what info you have…like the day you last started and the ap then predicts maxim times of fertility and such. The interesting thing is I got that information from my employees ( all younger women ) and all of them said they’ve deleted the things. Seems warnings have been out there long before the fall of Roe.

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This Nineteen Eighty-Four / The Handmaid’s Tale crossover is really gonna suck.

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ā€œHIPAA, passed in 1996, has not kept up with changes in technologyā€¦ā€

Actual voiceover I recently heard (and I’m NOT making this up):

ā€œIs your consumer technology spying on you? Tune in to hear that story tomorrow, by asking your smart speaker to play NPR or your local station by name.ā€

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In my line of work, we call that ā€œjob securityā€.

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When I got my pacemaker I insisted that I not be part of the Internet of Things. It still records e.g. my activity level by time of day continuously, but at least it isn’t downloading the information every night. I have to wait until a scheduled interrogation to make the staff wonder if I’m getting up to pee or to engage in more interesting activities.

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Some of the stories I’ve seen suggest that deleting the app may not be sufficient: if there’s any data stored in the cloud, that data could persist indefinitely unless also affirmatively purged. (Other than laziness and profit and inertia, this kind of thing is often justified on the basis that if someone re-ups they will be happy to have all their old data still available…)

On a related note, some of the states pretending to offer rape exceptions require a police report was filed. Handing quite a database to the government.

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Well of course it doesn’t, a woman has to read the 37 phone screens of EULA to find out what’s to be done with her monthly intimate knowledge.

I’m actually more interested in the Ohio garbage subjecting female athletes to genital inspections. I’m wondering first whether the period tracker app could be grounds for inspection.

Secondly, does Ohio want to see the vulva itself or is a tight cameltoe sufficient? Every rightist in the state should be demanded to answer this question.

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Good grief, women have been tracking their periods for thousands of years without an ā€œappā€.
Why anyone would want to put that info out there really, really needs to rethink that.

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So, Congress can fix HIPAA for this and other health data issues.

Easy-peasy, right?

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YoU weRe askinG younG femaLe employeeS abOut theiR perIOds?

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Was that to make a point or were they seemingly clueless?

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The answer is for each of us to play drug dealer. Use burner phones (bought for cash) and change them weekly. Physically destroy the old phones. Put nothing in writing. Limit who you tell about your plans.

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Back to paper calendars and colored pens.

At least until Texas sues Amazon for all the calendar purchases.

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These religious f$cks will start here, but how long will it take before they demand Female genital mutilation? Gotta control dem wimmen.

Yeah, like a 12 year old girl is going to file a police report on her cousin/brother/uncle/father.

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