Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, women across the Union have begun to wonder whether they should delete apps that track their periods.
Fearing that state governments may use the information downloaded from these apps, women are making calls on social media to stop using these apps, or even to use them randomly to feed false information into the databases of these programs.
The short answer to the core question is yes. If you are in a state where abortion is illegal and you plan or contemplate having one in an emergency, it is best to delete any records that could be used against you.
The long answer is: these apps are the least of your problems.
Our life online
The scary truth is that we have been feeding the Big Data monster for years. Our lives, memories, photos, thoughts, sleep patterns, movements, etc. are already online. It's not just a problem with the apps we feed information about our periods - everything we type and consume on our devices can be used against us.
Despite Google has announced that it will delete information on visits to abortion clinics and other health institutions, the record of travel to states that have not criminalized abortion may be recorded.
Online shopping is also a concern. From pregnancy tests to health items, these digital records can be used to pursue suspicion of a crime.
We must also mention messaging applications and various social networks.
The companies themselves have assured users that they are working to protect their customers' information, but let's not beat around the bush, these companies are required to share your information if the government requests it.
Unfortunately, if the government asks Google or a social network for information relevant to the investigation of a crime, they have to give in.
For Anna Lee Mraz, CEO of this media outlet, “The app is a powerful technological tool that – I deduce from its operation – uses algorithms and probability to determine cycles or the possibility of pregnancy in menstruating people. I used it to get pregnant. With the information about your symptoms that you yourself provide to the app, it determines your hormonal cycles. I find it grotesque that it is used to persecute people seeking abortion.”
Discretion and awareness
It is unfortunate that women's reproductive rights are being set back in the US. This decision will have repercussions at every level of the social, legal, political and reproductive life of women across the country. It also forces us to rethink our relationship with apps that collect and request sensitive information about our lives.
And it is not only affecting women, as humans without a uterus we must also be aware of what we share, talk about and publish, because it can be used as evidence. We have the obligation to be discreet in decisions about the health of those around us and to be aware of our role in case one of our loved ones is in danger.
Hans Leguizamo. Audio and video coordinator for Peninsula 360 Press. Sociologist and researcher specializing in electronic entertainment, video games and consumer rights.
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