this post was submitted on 11 Nov 2024
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[–] [email protected] 132 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

If anyone is in need of a more secure option in these dystopian times: drip keeps all your data on your phone. You can export the data, so you can keep the tracked data when changing phones. I only use it for tracking my cycle and sometimes symptoms though, so I can't say much about using it for birth control.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

Apple’s Cycle Tracking app is also locally and E2E encrypted in iCloud.

When your phone is locked with a passcode, Touch ID, or Face ID, all of your health and fitness data in the Health app, other than your Medical ID, is encrypted. Any health data synced to iCloud is encrypted both in transit and on our servers. And if you have a recent version of watchOS and iOS with the default two-factor authentication and a passcode, your health and activity data will be stored in a way that Apple can’t read it.

This means that when you use the Cycle Tracking feature and have enabled two-factor authentication, your health data synced to iCloud is encrypted end-to-end and Apple does not have the key to decrypt the data and therefore cannot read it.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/120356

[–] onlinepersona 31 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (2 children)

Sure. It's encrypted. And your private data only stays on your device. Pinky swear.

With our 10 billion $ in ad revenue, you can trust that your data never makes it to a third party unencrypted 😚

Anti Commercial-AI license

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (8 children)

I’m not sure what that license has to do with Apple’s privacy policy. Apple uses ML to place ads alongside relevant content. They provide no customer information to advertisers. They generate so much ad revenue by keeping a sizable 30% from the advertisers.

https://support.apple.com/guide/news-publisher/earn-revenue-with-advertising-on-apple-news-apdd44eeeeeb/icloud

https://support.apple.com/guide/adguide/generate-revenue-apd51c721ca9/icloud

[–] JackbyDev 17 points 3 weeks ago

onlinepersona posts that on every comment they make. They're licensing their comments under CC BY-SA-NC 4.0. Given the context of the conversation it may have sounded confusing.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (18 children)

Is the app and the OS open source? No? Then please shut the fuck up with your dangerous "advice". People really still havent understood how this shit works. How is this being upvoted? Corporations do not deserve your trust when they claim things without proving them.

This is not a joke, this shit affects peoples lives. After spearheading the technology for creeps to stalk people with physical tags, and being the first to experiment with client side communications scanning, how do people still not understand that apple is just as bad as the rest.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 weeks ago

For better E2E encryption, you should turn on Advanced Data Protection: https://support.apple.com/en-us/108756

[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 weeks ago

What a name lol

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Best to write your data down. Do not put on device or online.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 weeks ago

I mean, the app offers encryption of the data, so you'd have to enter a password. And you can encrypt your phone as well. If it gets to a point where you are forced to enter the password, a piece of paper in your drawer is probably not much safer.

It's really beyond fucked up that this is something people have to think about.

[–] [email protected] 65 points 3 weeks ago (12 children)

Why does a period tracking app even need to store the data anywhere other than locally?

[–] sus 43 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (3 children)

their given reasons are "to keep backups" and "academic and clinical research with de-identified datasets"

they seem to actually do a fairly good job with anonymizing the research datasets, unlike most "anonymized research data", though for the raw data stored on their servers, they do not seem to use encryption properly and their security model is "the cloud hoster wouldn't spy on the data right?" (hint: their data is stored on american servers, so the american authorities can just subpoena Amazon Web Services directly, bypassing all their "privacy guarantees". (the replacement for the EU-US Privacy Shield seems to be on very uncertain legal grounds, and that was before the election))

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 weeks ago

de-identified

Doubt.

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[–] [email protected] 46 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

Why in the fuck would the government need this information?

[–] [email protected] 48 points 3 weeks ago (9 children)

When they start prosecuting women for miscarriages and suspected abortions under Trump's national abortion ban.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 weeks ago

dystopian hellscape where government has an algorithm to check whether your period has come in a given month, and if you've missed more than a few weeks, you'll be listed as pregnant. And then if you're not pregnant anymore for any reason other than giving birth, then you'll be prosecuted for having an abortion.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 weeks ago

To prosecute criminals. Like women not following a shit take like "Your body, my choice". Or terrorists. With wombs? Idk.

This shit is just fucked up.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 weeks ago

China had a database that stored fertility information including information like in the article leak a few years back too. Worse cause it leaked/got hacked. Creepy AF

[–] [email protected] 42 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

~~That's nice, but why does that data need to be on their servers in the first place?~~

Ok, so apparently they don't store the data by default. Guessing they could if the user wants it backed up or synced across devices.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I imagine they collect data to improve their algorithm so it can more accurately predict a woman's cycle. Quite a few women use these apps as an alternative birth control, so knowing the specific days where they need to avoid sex is helpful.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Normally, I'd install the app to find out, but I can't really install any more apps on my phone. And oh man, do I never like seeing the phrase "collect data to improve [their] algorithm".

[–] [email protected] 16 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

In general, medical predictions are a very good example of using AI to benefit humanity, not just shareholders. It's still scary if it's done by a private company.

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[–] [email protected] 36 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Any woman on here, please consider bluemoon. My wife is tech illiterate but loves the app.

Bluemoon (Open source, privacy friendly menstruation tracking app. Your period, your data!) https://f-droid.org/packages/ch.nilsgrob.android.bluemoon/

[–] anzo 10 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I can recommend Mensinator. It includes logging and calculated ovulation day too. Something I could not see in bluemoon screenshots.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Mensinator

Sounds like something from Doofenshmirtz.

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[–] [email protected] 30 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Can I get a reminder about the apps that WILL share with the govt so I can help fuck with their data?

[–] [email protected] 24 points 3 weeks ago (5 children)

All US-based apps and all the apps that store their data in US-owned cloud providers at very least.

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

I know it's not feasible, but if a lot of males would just use the apps that are know to report to US authorities and input data, that most likely will raise a alarms, they would have to deal with heaps of false-positives and it would obscure the real data.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I'm in. Anyone know of any apps that DO report data?

[–] [email protected] 16 points 3 weeks ago

Same, ready to poison data against fascists anytime.

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[–] [email protected] 22 points 3 weeks ago

female and male staff members at Clue, based in Berlin

Basiert und in Berlin.

𝕯𝖎𝖊𝖘𝖊 𝕶𝖔𝖒𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖆𝖗𝖘𝖊𝖐𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 𝖎𝖘𝖙 𝖓𝖚𝖓 𝕰𝖎𝖌𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖚𝖒 𝖉𝖊𝖗 𝕭𝖚𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖘𝖗𝖊𝖕𝖚𝖇𝖑𝖎𝖐 𝕯𝖊𝖚𝖙𝖘𝖈𝖍𝖑𝖆𝖓𝖉

[–] [email protected] 20 points 3 weeks ago

DO NOT put this kind of information in an app!

If you absolutely have to have it in your phone, use the calendar and pick some event that's plausible monthly with a unique name so you can search on it. "Checked for Mxyzlptik updates", "Look at travel to Canada prices" or whatever.

If you need more functionality than that you'll need an offline solution. We live in a fascist dictatorship now. They hate women. And they will 100% use that information against you if they can.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

They shouldn't be collecting it in the first place, store the logs locally (and encrypted tbh) on the user's device.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 weeks ago

It makes zero sense in keeping the data unencrypted in ang cloud. People usually don't share their cycles details on the public internet.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 weeks ago

I'm glad this article is about Clue. I hope I can continue to trust them.

I've been using Clue for years and it's nicely trans-friendly and not-pink. When I was first looking for a period app, many options were focused on fertility--either seeking or avoiding pregnancy--which rubbed me the wrong way.

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