Period Tracker Stardust Shares User Data with Analytics Firm

Researchers at Mozilla examined menstrual cycle tracking apps to see how they handle user data. One of the apps put under scrutiny was Stardust.

According to the research, Stardust passes users' health data to a third-party analytics firm. This concerns sensitive information related to the menstrual cycle — a category of data that falls under personal health information.

Not All Apps Are the Same

Mozilla also tested at least one other similar app which, unlike Stardust, turned out to be “squeaky clean” — that is, it was not caught passing user data to third parties.

This contrast, according to the researchers, highlights the substantial differences in how the developers of such apps approach user privacy. Despite similar functionality, the level of protection for health data can differ dramatically from one app to another.

Why It Matters

Menstrual cycle tracking apps collect some of the most sensitive categories of personal data, including information about reproductive health. Passing such data to analytics firms without proper transparency raises questions about exactly how this information is used and who ultimately gains access to it.

Mozilla's research once again demonstrates that users of health apps would do well to read privacy policies carefully and not rely on the assumption that all such services handle the protection of personal data equally responsibly.

Source: TechCrunch