What you're agreeing to
Flo's Terms of Service govern its menstrual health tracking app and grant Flo a license to use your health data to improve its services. Flo was found by the FTC to have shared sensitive reproductive health data with advertising platforms without user knowledge.
Privacy in plain English
Flo collects highly sensitive reproductive health data including menstrual cycles, pregnancy status, sexual activity, and mood. Flo was found to have shared this data with Facebook and Google's advertising platforms, and in the post-Roe legal environment this data could be subpoenaed by law enforcement.
Terms of Service: Breakdown
Concerning Clauses- - Flo collects information about pregnancy, fertility, sexual activity, and emotional health — among the most sensitive personal data categories that exist.
- Flo can share data with third-party partners for research and product improvement purposes.
- In US states where abortion is restricted, menstrual and pregnancy tracking data could be subpoenaed by law enforcement.
- - Flo shared health event data with Facebook and Google advertising platforms despite claims of privacy, until the FTC intervened.
- Anonymized health data is shared with research partners; however, re-identification of health data is a known technical risk.
- - 2021: FTC settled with Flo for sharing user health data including pregnancy and menstruation details with Facebook and Google advertisers without consent.
Verdict:
Flo has been caught sharing your most sensitive health data with advertisers — consider anonymous alternatives if reproductive privacy matters to you.
Privacy Policy: Breakdown
Privacy Issues- - Flo collects details about your menstrual cycle, pregnancy status, sexual activity, contraception use, and mental health.
- This health data could be subpoenaed by law enforcement in US states where abortion is criminalized.
- - Flo shared reproductive health event data with Facebook's and Google's advertising SDKs without users' knowledge until the FTC intervened in 2021. - Research partners may receive anonymized health data for studies.
Verdict:
Flo holds the most legally sensitive data of any mainstream consumer app in the current US regulatory environment — only use it if you are comfortable with its documented data sharing history.
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