Your Body Is Betraying Your Right to Privacy

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken action against femtech companies for systematically selling highly sensitive user data. In 2023, the FTC fined the period-tracking app Premom for selling data on users' sexual and reproductive health, pregnancy status, and physical conditions to third parties, including Google and companies in China. Similarly, Flo, an app with 48 million users, settled an FTC complaint for sharing data on mood, body temperature, symptoms, ovulation, and sexual partners without proper disclosure. This data, collected under the guise of health monitoring, became a commodity for targeted advertising, betraying user trust and exposing intimate details.

This scandal underscores the broader dangers of the 'Internet of Bodies,' where smart devices—from watches to digital pills—track physiological data. While beneficial for health insights, this data creates permanent records that can be weaponized. In states with abortion restrictions, period tracker data revealing a missed period and nausea could serve as evidence for prosecutors. Companies are bound by U.S. laws and must comply with warrant requests, meaning the only true protection is not collecting the data at all—a paradox for data-driven businesses. The rise of mental health apps like BetterHelp, with over 2 million users, further expands this surveillance vector, turning private therapy details into marketable assets.