We have a number of articles on these apps this week:
First we had this:
Fertility app glitches put women out of sync
By Kate Aubusson
September 17, 2019 — 1.00am
Fertility apps riddled with "alarming" inaccuracies and "disturbing" misinformation could be inadvertently sabotaging the chances of women conceiving, researchers warn.
Thousands of Australian women are using fertility apps to give them the best shot at getting pregnant or avoiding it, but flaws in these trackers are leading some would-be mothers to believe they are infertile.
A study presented at the Fertility Society of Australia's Annual Scientific Meeting in Hobart on Monday found that more than 57 per cent incorrectly predicted ovulation dates and almost 83 per cent incorrectly predicted estimated due dates.
"This is compounded by incorrect timing for intercourse, incorrect fertile window calculations and pregnancy information," the researchers, from Eve Health fertility clinic in Brisbane and Queensland Fertility Group, reported after analysing 36 of almost 400 popular apps marketed as reliable and effective.
Lead author Samantha Costa had noticed a significant number of women reliant on fertility apps were coming to the clinic convinced they were infertile.
"I asked one of our doctors, 'How many women are we seeing that are deemed to be infertile but perhaps they are just determining they ovulation cycles using an application that could be wrong?' " she told the Herald.
She said women convinced of the accuracy and effectiveness of these apps could be put off from seeking clinical fertility advice and prolonging the time it took to conceive.
It was "particularly alarming" that many of the apps assured users of their effectiveness - with slogans such as "Get pregnant up to 3x faster" - given their limited evidence-base and "almost universal lack of input from healthcare professionals and regulatory agencies", the researchers wrote.
Lots more here:
and from overseas we had this.
Period tracking apps caught sharing medical data with Facebook
Period tracking apps are sharing sensitive medical data with Facebook, an investigation has found.
Andrea Downey – 13 September, 2019
Data, including menstruation frequency, use of contraception and symptoms like blood pressure and acne, are being shared directly with the social media company.
In some cases, data is shared from the moment a user opens the app.
UK-based advocacy group Privacy International scrutinised six period tracking apps and found that five shared their data with Facebook, some before a user even agrees to privacy settings.
The apps, Maya by Plackal Tech, MIA by Mobapp Development Limited, My Period Tracker by Linchpin Health, Ovulation Calculator by Pinkbird, Period Tracker by GP International LLC and Mi Calendario by Grupo Familia, have been downloaded several million times between them.
Two of the apps, Maya and MIA, were exposed for “extensive sharing” of sensitive data.
Privacy International’s analysis found that Maya, which has five million downloads on Google Play, shares information with Facebook as soon as a user opens the app and before the user agrees to privacy settings. It asks for sensitive medical information, including choice of contraception and the date of their last period, which is also shared.
“Medical data is among the most sensitive data one can collect. Confidentiality is at the heart of medical ethics and countries that have data protection laws traditionally have a separate regime for health data, which includes health data, which are considered sensitive data,” the report said.
“Thus, when Maya asks you to enter how you feel and offers suggestions of symptoms you might have – suggestions like blood pressure, swelling or acne – one would hope this data would be treated with extra care. But no, that information is shared with Facebook.”
The app is also used to track the user’s mood, which is then shared with Facebook. Intimate knowledge of a person’s mood is highly valuable to advertisers who then use this data to strategically target them, the report said.
More details are here:
Last there was this:
The Apple Watch's Next Trick Could Be Battling Pseudoscience, But Questions Remain
Sep 16, 2019, 1:30pm
Before launching into its battery of Apple Watch announcements on Wednesday, Apple set the tone, as it often does, with a moving promotional video. Among the many characters featured was a mother who described how the Apple Watch helped catch a pregnancy-endangering heart condition. She rushed to the hospital, and her baby was saved. Later, Apple announced it would expand its health initiatives by embarking on three new health research studies in the U.S. that will use data gathered by its smartwatch. The Apple Watch, like most wearables, is billed as a product that can help you live a healthier life. These studies are Apple’s latest effort to prove that’s more than marketing bluster.
Though the announcement was light on details, we know the company is partnering with a half-dozen top medical institutions in America to investigate a range of topics including women’s health, the effect of mobility on cardiovascular health, and the impacts of everyday sound exposure on hearing.
The studies will be conducted through Apple’s upcoming Research app, and they have the potential to be some of the largest-ever studies involving worn sensors. Don’t be surprised if these studies ultimately breed new features. In fact, all this altruistic-sounding research is probably a shrewd business decision since the company can’t legally market medical capabilities without research and health authority clearance in the U.S. Even if they don’t turn into features, the studies lend Apple credibility and goodwill.
More here:
So we see these apps may not work, leak very private information and may not be all that scientifically grounded.
A bit of a trifecta of reasons to be very careful when using them!
David.
"A bit of a trifecta of reasons to be very careful when using them!" and for uploading data from them into My Health Record. You never know who might read it. I assume ADHA's safety experts have thought about and dealt with this potential glitch.
ReplyDeleteBut I doubt it.