Flo reaches settlement with FTC over misuse of period-tracking data

According to The Wall Street Journal, the app shared highly confidential user information, such as the exact dates of their periods and pregnancy plans with third parties.

The users had not issued consent as the Terms of Service did not have provisions for such dealings.

Facebook could potentially have matched sensitive health information to user profiles in a possible breach of privacy.

A 2019 study published in JAMA Network Open highlighted how most apps aimed at depressed people and smokers share user data with Facebook and Google, who are market leaders in targeted advertising.

It is not surprising that the industry depends on data of users' activities to "improve" recommendations. Most services provide options to opt out, but their effectiveness is suspect.

As part of the FTC settlement, Flo has to notify users about how their data was misappropriated and seek their permission before it shares more personal information henceforth.

The glaring issue with this settlement is that it still heavily relies on the app developers to honor their word, the lack of which is exactly why the complaint was filed in the first place.

Flo refused to admit any wrongdoing and the charges amounting to breach of privacy leveled by the FTC. The company issued a boilerplate statement claiming that it has the utmost regard for the privacy of user data, and does not share information without the user's consent.

The settlement mandates an independent audit of Flo's privacy practices, as it never limited third party access to user data.