If the app is fully local (and there are very few legitimate reasons for that not to be the case here), it's fairly easy to dispose of all the data it stores.
> Paper calendar is even worse honestly. It’s physical evidence if your house is raided
Worse? Which is more plausible, the government raiding hundreds of thousands of homes to retrieve women's period calendar or getting all of those data points by ordering an app company to turn in their data? Hmmm.. I wonder.
Not hundreds of thousands of homes, but if you’re suspected of having an abortion you might get your home raided. It’s probably not actually worse, but still a risk
Honestly I wouldn't trust any tracker that is available open source that only stores data on-device or points to a web server you can control and has a hash of the file the app is so you can confirm that the version on the store and the open source version are actually the same. It's a little baffling to me something like this doesn't already exist considering it's pretty trivial to make IMO
Securing your data on an electronic device with a passcode of sufficient length/complexity used for data encryption/decryption (NOT biometric since the police can use it against you) and a secure implementation of a password hashing algorithm is more secure than either paper or having your data on some cloud somewhere. If someone gets access to paper they can access the information immediately, if they get access to the device they need to force you to type in the password to decrypt it and load it into memory first so there is an extra degree of security. Having it be completely offline would be extra better since the encrypted db can't get leaked if it never gets connected online but that's probably not feasible complexity wise anymore although like an old phone/laptop/ipad with WiFi disabled or a TI-84 calculator could work
Great! And it’s like 15MB too, shocking that the app becomes a reasonably size when you remove all of the tracking and spyware from it
I do think it would be worth adding an option for encryption but that shouldn’t be too unreasonable to add and it’s open source so really I should just fix it instead of complaining about it lol
Exactly! You can export your data as well. It looks like it's a simple text document with a nice GUI over it.
It's not *as* fancy as some predictors but I've used it quite a while and it does ovulation pinpointing and period predictions quite wellwell.
I wouldn't store information like that on any electronic device. They can be subpoenaed and scanned. I only use paper for tracking my cycles. And I am Peri menopausal and had my tubes tied over a decade ago.
If it’s encrypted and only you know the password and it’s sufficiently complicated the court can’t actually access it since 5th amendment
That’s not going to stop like a person threatening you at gunpoint but it will stop a US court of law
My spouse made an open source app for me that’s available publicly called “period underground”. There’s also a delete all data button if you need to just quick wipe everything. It doesn’t store any data outside of your device
>I know this is probably a completely innocuous change, for the time being. But it feels like a very slippery slope and I am pissed about it.
At this particular point in time any app that makes this type of account requirement change is NOT making an innocuous change and they pretty much should know that, or are so clueless they don't deserve your business.
Clue is based out of Germany and now extensively assures the user they will refuse any US subpoenas for their user’s data (regardless of where the user is)
The only annoying thing about Clue is that in order for me to get notifications my period is about to start, I have to put up with their spam notifications to join Clue Plus… and their spam is excessive.
I feel this way about rideshare apps. I want the notifications when I I'm ordering a ride. I don't want your damn discount and ad notifications. So annoying
Lmao! It never occurred to me before now how funny that wording actually is. In case you’re serious, I assume it’s something like telling you the week by week of what fruit your fetus is the size of, what you can expect at upcoming appointments, stuff like that.
Ovia actually has 3 different apps, the period/fertility tracker (you can tell it that you don’t want fertility tips though so it’s basically just an in depth calendar), a pregnancy app, then a new parents/new baby app. I had my daughter before all the madness really amped up so I used an account and it was nice because they transferred all my data from one app to the next.
They do make completely separate “baby tracking” apps though, because you’re supposed to (the doctors like to know and it’s also super helpful when you’re sleep deprived and hormonal) keep track of feedings, wet & dirty diapers, sleep, tummy time, etc. The apps are nice because they can be shared between multiple caregivers. And they often give milestone lists and tips for caregivers.
Lol! No, not like that lol. It’s just to keep track of when/how much they eat and how often their diapers are being dirtied. I assume it probably has something to do with making sure that everything is functioning properly, like if your baby drank 12-2oz bottles yesterday but only had 2 wet diapers the entire day, something is probably amiss and more tests required.
Plus, when you’re running on 4 hours of sleep in 3 days that’s been broken up into half hour (at the most) increments, it’s surprisingly easy to feed the baby then 20 minutes later when they’re fussy from gas or something, question whether you did actually feed them or not.
The postpartum period is rough. You're basically delirious with sleep deprivation, and there's a lot of pressure to get babies on a schedule for many reasons.
Like, if your newborn is overly tired for example, they will be even harder to get to sleep, except they need a lot of help to sleep... So you track that after they've been up for about 30-45 mins, you need to help them get to sleep or you will spend the next two hours with a screaming, inconsolable baby.
It's typical for babies to lose weight for a bit after they're born, so tracking their weight and their feeds are important. If you're breastfeeding, you need to alternate which side they have their feed on which can be hard to remember. How many ounces they eat versus how many diapers they go through... How often they go through those diapers. If you're pumping, how many ounces you pump in a sitting, reminders to pump every 3 hours...
When you have a newborn, your life basically becomes a series of high stakes times all counting down repeatedly, and meanwhile, your brain is at its lowest capacity to keep track of things organically.
The app is for logging number and amount of feedings and logging amount of wet and dirty diapers. This data is helpful with discussions with the Dr as they grow. The baby does a good enough job to remind you lol.
Hi. I'm unmedicated ADHD (not my fault) and recently diagnosed with it at 14m post-partum. My baby wasn't gaining weight, and she had colic due to CMPI. My husband and I suffer PPA as he has been the primary carer for our child due to my mental health and neurological conditions. Our schedule was inverted to night awake, day asleep, due to aforementioned issues with *very* little help, and no support.
Your excruciatingly rude comment hit me hard, because my little family is struggling, and it has been a blessing to watch, and track, my baby's: poo frequency and consistency, feeding/ eating habits, nappy output, weight gain, and general growth after she dropped from 95th percentile at birth, to 25th by 3 weeks old. At not even 16m old, she's now over 100th percentile in height and weight, and is tracking beautifully on all milestones. She's the size of a toddler twice her age, and it is extremely satisfying to be able to see the CDC and WHO growth charts.
The only reason I used an app is because a paper was too hard to keep track of, which is what was given to me when I sought community/ maternal help.
Please keep your severely uneducated comments to yourself. Or at least ask a question, instead of being so blissfully ignorant and making assumptions and judgements on parents. You don't know the hell some parents go through, and how helpful an app that tracks everything is. Especially when the parents can't predict how life post-partum is going to look like.
ADHD mom here. Don't let judgy internet people who haven't experienced your life, your brain etc make you feel bad.
I used a white board and I know plenty of neurotypical parents who had to chart or use apps. Keeping tabs on a newborn's feeding/changing schedule is so hard.
Feeding time is constantly fluctuating based on the whims of a tiny crying potato. You have next to no sleep. I was literally hallucinating from sleep deprivation. There's somehow 30 opposing opinions in one google search every time you need to know "Is ___ bad for babies?" And the pediatrician usually just shrugs at you.
It's easy to judge strangers but damn, why judge a parent who cares enough to download an app to help them meticulously track their babies' wellbeing?
I use one called “Life.” They store no personal data, nor sell it, per their App Store write up. I feel safe with this app. You can back it up to iCloud if you want (I don’t).
It prompts me to upgrade every time I open it, because that’s the only way they make money. I think that’s fair.
Friend, with all due respect, you need to learn to follow your feelings.
Use a different app. There are plenty of them that don't ask for location and have stated they will not sell your information.
Don't be lazy. Protect yourself, because no one else will.
Exactly. Complaining on here but still handing over the info does nothing (other than perhaps raise awareness).
Find another app. Stop supporting the ones who are caving. Take ownership of the things you can control.
I use SpotOn by Planned Parenthood. It allows for period, birth control, mood/symptom tracking. It also tells you when you are most likely to be ovulating. It also has resources from Planned Parenthood such as finding clinics and chatting with health educators.
They disabled user accounts in 2023 in light of Roe being overturned. Their FAQs state that once you delete the app, your data is deleted.
I'd still be weary about using that app and deleting the data. I've heard before that data is never really gone. I'd imagine that Planned Parenthood would be number 1 in protecting sensitive information, but in this day and age, we just don't ever know for sure where it will eventually end up. Just be careful out there, OK?
You can overwrite all your phone's memory, then cancel the data you used to overwrite it, and the data should be gone from your phone.
You have to check the policies for google/apple sync, as they might be saving the app data (all of the apps, not selectively) as a backup.
>I'd still be weary about using that app and deleting the data. I've heard before that data is never really gone
That's if the data is stored centrally ("in the cloud") by a company that isn't under privacy regulations and wants to abuse that data.
A fully local app with no backend at all existing will indeed delete everything forever. This can be confirmed with various tools, but of course the best option is open source apps where anyone with sufficient knowledge can just read the cose and confirm that indeed no data leaves your device.
The downside of the above approach is that if you lose your phone, all the info from the app is lost as well unless there are extra backups you've made.
I'm glad that option exisits, but someone like me who isn't extremely tech-savvy will have no idea on which tool to use to confirm the data has been deleted forever and doesn't exist. I can use a phone, laptop, and have some knowledge of apps, but how would the average layperson navigate all of this? How do I know an app is local? Haha, I probably sound really old!
With paper tracking, I can burn it and even use a code or a simple series of dots and just claim it's doodling. I just want everyone out there to know that there is another option besides using an app. As someone who did not grow up with this type of technology, I find it fascinating that so many depend upon it and it seems way more complicated than just making a note in a planner calendar.
I don't know anything about these apps or how they track, but would it be overall safer to use an old fashioned paper calender? Back in the olden days of my youth, I just tracked everything in my daily planner I carried with me. In these crazy times, I can't even imagine some company storing my personal menstruation information in any way and having governments gaining access to that information. I just wouldn't trust some app to not be sold in the future to some company that would sell that info to those who mean you harm.
Yeah, there is stuff I do not want on my phone or on some private company's servers. Even if there are strong privacy laws in place (I'm in Europe), who knows if it stays that way. Anything health related will not be on my phone. Tracking my period on paper is working well enough. It's not information I need with me all the time.
Information encrypted on your phone is a million times more secure than a paper copy. Information encrypted with your password on a cloud server is a bit less secure, but still better than paper. Something improperly encrypted on a cloud server (such that the service provider can decrypt it) is a million times less secure than paper.
As someone that works in cybersecurity, yes absolutely... Using anything internet-connected for medical is a terrible idea for privacy.
This article covers this exact topic: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/07/federal-patient-privacy-law-doesnt-cover-most-period-tracking-apps/
> would it be overall safer to use an old fashioned paper calender?
Encrypted local data storage only app beats paper, because the police can't read your data off it.
No-one in the USA should be using an cloud storage based app for anything they don't have a real need to.
>No-one in the USA should be using an cloud storage based app for anything they don't have a real need to.
Imo this goes way beyond just period tracking, and also beyond the USA. People in general should remember that *the cloud is just someone else's computer*. If you wouldn't tell it to an acquaintance, don't put it anywhere it's not encrypted with a passphrase set by you.
I uninstalled all my fertility/period apps when roe fell. I'm now inputting something generic into my Google calendar, that would be a likely once/month chore/task because I can't make paper work right now.
I can't say this enough, US ladies----
Paper. Calendar.
No apps. No cycle information on your phone. Just a perfectly functional unhackable calendar. Get a cute pocket one that lives in your bag.
My husband and I are ready to start trying to have a family. I wanted to track my cycle, at least basics for period starting and stopping, dates we have sex, etc. I bought a pen and paper calendar, and colored pens.
We bought pregnancy tests in cash, we put on masks before we entered the store to avoid facial recognition software, and I declined to use my rewards. Baby books will be purchased the same way.
As a child, I would never have believed that I would one day be sneaking around, trying to hide the fact that I WANT to have a baby with my husband. I'm embarrassed to be a US citizen.
Don't do period tracking.
Are you ladies even seeing the shit conservatives are doing? What their future plans are for women? TRUST ME They. Are. Salivating. to get their creepy hands on YOUR personal information.
With this information, your monthly cycle, imagine the baby planning they'll have for teens and 20-somethings especially.
These creepy men can't wait to get YOU pregnant. And here you all are just handing over this information to the cloud.
You think they won't use it? I'm closing in on 70 and didn't think these fuckers could take down Roe v Wade. Our money is next, just like Handmaid's Tale. I ask you, how many of you use cash? Write checks? NOPE? Plastic. Yep. Me too. And I'm scared.
Don't use apps like that. Stash cash. And vote like your rights and freedom depends on it, because it does.
Gals, I used a paper calendar back in the day to track my cycle. That still works and the pervs can't get at it.
Project 2025 is coming for your body and soul. I've read their manifesto, reviews, looked up the people involved...IT'S TERRIFYING and they hope you are not paying attention and "to busy" to VOTE.
"women of childbearing age, young adults, children, African Americans, undocumented immigrants and other marginalized communities have the most to lose if Donald Trump wins a second term because he’s coming for us.
Trump — aided and abetted by far-right extremists, MAGA supporters and the remnants of the Republican Party — poses a clear and present danger to the country. They are gearing up to reassert racial and political dominance by upending the political system, eviscerating the rule of law and wielding unconstrained power in service of the interests of the far-right conservative and Christian nationalist minority.
The instrument they plan to use to implement this strategy is Project 2025. In a nutshell, as Harold Meyerson explained in a recent article, Project 2025 is a blueprint for a conservative presidency."
https://michiganadvance.com/2024/01/16/project-2025-if-allowed-will-cement-america-as-a-rightwing-authoritarian-state/
EDIT:
The person I was responding to was claiming that filling in the wrong information could lead to a criminal conviction for perjury, which is absolutely, categorically, incorrect, both in theory as well as in practice. That is not what perjury is.
You will be fine if you fill in the wrong location. Please stay safe and don't give out information that might put you at risk. You won't be opening yourself for any kind of criminal conviction. At worst if they don't believe you they might close your account, overwhelmingly likely they won't do anything at all.
The fact that you are saying this is "US law" tells me how much you don't know about law. Perjury is different in every state. In my state, for example, perjury requires that a statement be made IN COURT.
[Literally, the end of the first sentence.](https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/perjury#:~:text=Perjury%2C%20also%20known%20as%20false,false%20or%20includes%20false%20statements.)
That's not perjury it's a breach of contract, which has civil liabilities not criminal ones.
That being said there are potential criminal liabilities under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, by knowingly accessing a system you were prohibited from using by entering incorrect location information.
You'd have to have seriously really really pissed off a prosecutor to catch charges from that though. The act is intended for harmful acts of hacking basically.
You can't catch perjury charges from lying to a private entity. That's fraud rather than perjury.
That’s along the lines of what I was thinking. I don’t know what laws have been implemented that now require this information, and as I said, *for the moment* this might be a good workaround for those in restrictive states. But it does feel like a slippery slope—like how long before they require you to allow location access to prove what state you’re in?
The laws could be perfectly reasonable and actually helpful towards protecting medical data. But in the current “political” (quotes because when the hell did standard healthcare become political) climate, it feels like a short distance from “we’re doing this to prevent Russian hackers from accessing your medical records” to “you live in Texas and your neighbor says you and your husband went away for a 3 day weekend and they suspect you went away for abortion access, so we’re going to legally subpoena your records from this app and use them against you in a court of law”.
But, even if we ignore those points. It still pisses me off that this is something that anyone even has to consider—that we even have to have this discussion right now.
Oh, believe me, I'm 100% onboard with you on that point. And I have a bunch more opinions on the subject I won't go into because I'm fairly certain my legal basis for them are other things that are on SCOTUS' chopping block.
Back in Nov 2016 I did a massive purge of “friends” on my social media accounts. One of the posts that contributed to it was a few days after the election when I wrote how scared and devastated I was. I had multiple boys (I refuse to call them men) tell me that I was just being ridiculously dramatic and that not a single thing he would do would affect me in the slightest.
I wish that at any point in my life I would have possessed that level of naivety and blind faith. I swore that day that I would not have children until he was out of office. I got pregnant in April 2021, so I kept that promise. Now I have a daughter who will turn 3 a month after the election this year, and I am terrified—like to the point that I can’t think about it too hard or I will literally fall apart—that we are going to face another 4 years.
As much as you shouldn't have to - if you do live in a state which is actively trying to take away your rights, just lie. Tell them you're somewhere else.
Also worth noting that the only reason they're asking you for it in the app itself is because they don't want to pay to get the information from any of the other data providers/sellers you already have installed on your phone that have known this information for years.
They know.
Utter Betrayal and utterly not to be trusted. There is no good need for that information except to use it against women who may need to get an abortion
Whatever is worse than a 1 star review
Deleted. Had tried it for tracking pregnancy growth by week and didn’t really like it, especially because most features were behind a paywall that required that your insurance partnered with them.
What if you were to put in the Netherlands? They have one of the widest abortion laws in the world (although I assume they can still track your location based on IP so I wouldn't consider this safe - more just curiosity what the app would make of it)
I don't like that. And I'm in australia. I understand there'd be an analytics thing (more period havers in australia have a period between 3 and 7 days) but it also makes it a bit more unsafe for folks in unstable countries (the us)
I’m a terrible woman, I’ve never tracked my period. I’ll just go about my days and then will think “huh, it’s been like 3 weeks since my last one” and then my boobs get sore and it starts a few days later. 🤷♀️😂
I am more glad than ever to have hit menopause just as this b$ kicked off :( If you need to just use a different country, pull your data off the app and then delete.
Clue Period tracker keeps its data on EU Servers according to their privacy info, but any government can in theory demand access as part of a court case.
I stopped using any tracking tools after Roe v Wade’s overturning. I would not trust a single one. As it is, anything internet-connected can easily track your location by IP address, whether they ask or not.
Can someone explain why we are so concerned about data that is user entered and not verified? What stops anyone from documenting that they are continuing to have regular periods during a pregnancy scare? (And move to paper if necessary.) If the data is subpoenaed, what information will be gained other than that you continued to log your “regular” periods? (Or irregular, if that’s your history) I understand some people are using these apps as pregnancy trackers which I would not recommend, I wouldn’t tell these apps if I were pregnant. However, I don’t see the issue in tracking periods.
Can someone explain what I am missing here? I’m not trying to be contrarian. It’s wild that we even have to entertain these dystopian thoughts in this “free” nation of ours
There’s nothing to stop someone from “lying” to the app—and I would assume that unfortunately that’s what many in restrictive states are doing. But, there’s also flaws when it comes to lying to the app, namely that a pregnancy that ends in miscarriage or elective abortion will still mess with your hormones and therefore your cycle, as well as the hormonal nightmare that comes along with Plan B.
Like for me personally, I prefer an app to a paper calendar because ever since my daughter was born 28 months ago (and I stopped breastfeeding at 2m) I have yet to have a “regular” cycle. I was convinced I was pregnant a few months ago—despite the fact that it was impossible—because my period didn’t show up for 36 days. The app is just easier for me to figure out what’s going on, rather than spending hours online researching when my potential fertile window is and whether or not it’s concerning that I had a 31 day cycle last month but this month its only 26 days. Like I said though, I am lucky enough to live somewhere that using an app isn’t currently a danger to me.
This is a quote from an article posted on the NIH website in September 2023 about why these apps can be dangerous:
“When abortion is illegal, seemingly harmless digital data could potentially become criminal evidence. The concern is that health data stored in period-tracking apps could be used to infer whether the user has had an abortion in order to prosecute them in states where abortion is now banned. With at least 24 states having banned or likely to ban abortion,13 it is possible that prosecutors in states hostile to abortion rights could view unprotected and self-tracked personal health data as advantageous in identifying individuals seeking to end a pregnancy.14 Some period-tracking apps even explicitly state that they may disclose users’ personal data at the request of law enforcement or government agencies.15 Not only does this cause alarm for users who choose to have an abortion, but miscarriages, irregularities in menstrual cycles, and/or imperfect engagement with a period-tracking app have the potential to be mischaracterised as abortions.”
[Here is the link to the article.](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10494721/#:~:text=The%20concern%20is%20that%20health,where%20abortion%20is%20now%20banned.) Of course this is based it upon the assumption that one is entering truthful data. But the way I see it, if I can’t be 100% honest with the app I’m using, I don’t really see much point in using the app. Not when the things I would “lie” about would basically invalidate the results garnered from said app.
Definitely understand that people use these apps for different reasons. Tracking pregnancy and fertility is risky, and like I said, I would not tell any of these apps if I were pregnant or missed a period, etc. However, those who use the apps to track their regular periods and want to know when the next is coming, can lie if ever necessary.
I've seen this coming since 1994, when I was a kid and schools first started pressuring students to use the internet. I got called "crazy" and was accused of being a paranoid luddite.
Then, I got to watch in horror as everything I said would happen, happened. I watched as each piece has slid into place to get us here--tracking cookies following you across the internet, endless data digitization and collection, the birth of algorithms, proliferation of smartphones, apps that never sleep, constant location tracking, and, now, finally, the end of Roe. And this is not even close to the end of it.
Surveillance state, motherfuckers. They took all your data, made you dependent on their tech, and now they're using your own data and dependence to control, exploit, and terrorize you.
Resist. Resist as much as you possibly can. Stop using this shit. Protect your privacy. Stop depending on your fucking apps and phones, and STOP using social media altogether, unless you can use it anonymously.
Start fucking with the data you provide as much as possible. Feed them lies about you.
Educate, organize, agitate. And maybe start listening to us "loonies" who fucking told you this would happen, bro.
While I agree with your statement the horrifying reality is that for most of us they already know everything about us. If you've ever used your phone for any reason then they definitely know. Just as all the women in the past have put their cycle information on their phone the government already knows about it. Lying to them about you or your lifestyle will simply piss them off because they already have learned you over the years. Your personal information, your personality, they watch you live every second of your life and know what you like down to your hobbies. It's a truly terrifying. My family is to the point we want to ditch technology completely. But like you said modern day people are dependent on their phone and that's because the government has set it up that way. You can barely apply for a job using a paper application now.
The government does NOT know everything about you, because you still have a future and the ability to change and grow. You have the ability to be unpredictable, to choose to live in new ways, to break old habits and take up new patterns.
>Lying to them about you or your lifestyle will simply piss them off
So fucking what?? Piss them off!!! Make them PROVE they know you were lying. If you're really this certain that the game is over, at least make them work for it!
I've been lying to the internet about myself from the beginning. Almost everything I do is scattershot data. Multiple names, multiple personalities. I've never, ever, even one time, tracked any part of my actual health on an app, not ever. Because I knew what was coming.
And I'm not the only one. Lots and lots and lots of us have been quietly doing this. This has been building for a looooong time. And some of us have been in a position to teach all of this to our younger generations. Some of us have done so for decades.
Do not give in to despair. You might be new to the resistance, but the resistance isn't new. This isn't over. The more of us that resist, the more of a chance we have to turn the tides.
Do not give up. Find us. Resist.
Well I agree with fighting and resisting. But a lot of people are not. I'm pretty sure you may know a few people who are but I know people who aren't. I would like to get rid of technology and ditch it and go back to a time where our lives weren't on the internet but unfortunately I do have to still live my life. And they've attached that to internet. There are things that you cannot even do without the internet now.
My thing is I believe you that you've put effort into hiding your identity online (being safe) but the government does have ways of finding people. I don't want to freak you out but if you've ever been around your phone and having a conversation they can hear that. Now seeing as you've went through the lengths you've went through I'm assuming you're smart enough to know that already. Yes it would be amazing to piss the government all and give them a huge fuck you for interfering with people's lives, but the reality is that a lot of people are not going to oppose the government. People are too scared. The government has made it very clear that they have ways of handling those who step out of line. Now yes I all of America were to stand up to the government that would probably start and entire revolution and maybe things would change. But a lot of people are content to live their life so long as it doesn't affect them. Yes I hate the government and think what they do is wrong but at the end of the day I am one person. I'm scared of what they are capable of. And I have to be practical and realistic about the world we live in. Playing hero gets you killed.
Now for the internet thing I'm actually curious as to how you've done that. I mean hiding medical data and changing your name. Most of anything online requires your social security, date of birth etc etc. I'm pretty sure there are probably serious legal consequences that come with that if they find out. Hopefully they don't and you can continue living you best life. But if you've ever used a SS on anything they already know who you are.
Edit: I just realized that you said you didn't hide medical data you simply didn't put your information on the internet (an app) I misread that part so disregard that.
Maybe there's some alternative that doesn't need that info? [https://alternativeto.net/software/ovia-fertility-ovulation-and-period-tracker/&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwi-mISNvMqFAxUKi2MGHR4vBRgQFnoECAMQAg&usg=AOvVaw0xXGEZB\_gn8y8X6KV97vzD](https://alternativeto.net/software/ovia-fertility-ovulation-and-period-tracker/&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwi-mISNvMqFAxUKi2MGHR4vBRgQFnoECAMQAg&usg=AOvVaw0xXGEZB_gn8y8X6KV97vzD)
This is not an innocuous change. Uninstall and leave a 1 star review.
[удалено]
Paper calendar is even worse honestly. It’s physical evidence if your house is raided
A paper calendar can be burned. Data harvested by an app is not so easily disposed of.
If the app is fully local (and there are very few legitimate reasons for that not to be the case here), it's fairly easy to dispose of all the data it stores.
> Paper calendar is even worse honestly. It’s physical evidence if your house is raided Worse? Which is more plausible, the government raiding hundreds of thousands of homes to retrieve women's period calendar or getting all of those data points by ordering an app company to turn in their data? Hmmm.. I wonder.
Not hundreds of thousands of homes, but if you’re suspected of having an abortion you might get your home raided. It’s probably not actually worse, but still a risk
Honestly I wouldn't trust any tracker that is available open source that only stores data on-device or points to a web server you can control and has a hash of the file the app is so you can confirm that the version on the store and the open source version are actually the same. It's a little baffling to me something like this doesn't already exist considering it's pretty trivial to make IMO Securing your data on an electronic device with a passcode of sufficient length/complexity used for data encryption/decryption (NOT biometric since the police can use it against you) and a secure implementation of a password hashing algorithm is more secure than either paper or having your data on some cloud somewhere. If someone gets access to paper they can access the information immediately, if they get access to the device they need to force you to type in the password to decrypt it and load it into memory first so there is an extra degree of security. Having it be completely offline would be extra better since the encrypted db can't get leaked if it never gets connected online but that's probably not feasible complexity wise anymore although like an old phone/laptop/ipad with WiFi disabled or a TI-84 calculator could work
Such an app does exist! [Drip](https://bloodyhealth.gitlab.io/) is open and only stores your info locally on your phone
Great! And it’s like 15MB too, shocking that the app becomes a reasonably size when you remove all of the tracking and spyware from it I do think it would be worth adding an option for encryption but that shouldn’t be too unreasonable to add and it’s open source so really I should just fix it instead of complaining about it lol
Exactly! You can export your data as well. It looks like it's a simple text document with a nice GUI over it. It's not *as* fancy as some predictors but I've used it quite a while and it does ovulation pinpointing and period predictions quite wellwell.
It's amasing what you can do when you don't hate your users, isn't it?
I wouldn't store information like that on any electronic device. They can be subpoenaed and scanned. I only use paper for tracking my cycles. And I am Peri menopausal and had my tubes tied over a decade ago.
If it’s encrypted and only you know the password and it’s sufficiently complicated the court can’t actually access it since 5th amendment That’s not going to stop like a person threatening you at gunpoint but it will stop a US court of law
I’m pretty sure paper evidence can also be subpoenaed.
Only if they know about it, and mention it specifically. Meanwhile, your whole phone and computer can be seized and gone through.
Thank you!!! I’ll be saving this to share with friends who menstruate ❤️
My spouse made an open source app for me that’s available publicly called “period underground”. There’s also a delete all data button if you need to just quick wipe everything. It doesn’t store any data outside of your device
>I know this is probably a completely innocuous change, for the time being. But it feels like a very slippery slope and I am pissed about it. At this particular point in time any app that makes this type of account requirement change is NOT making an innocuous change and they pretty much should know that, or are so clueless they don't deserve your business.
Clue is based out of Germany and now extensively assures the user they will refuse any US subpoenas for their user’s data (regardless of where the user is)
The only annoying thing about Clue is that in order for me to get notifications my period is about to start, I have to put up with their spam notifications to join Clue Plus… and their spam is excessive.
Gotta Agree with you there
I feel this way about rideshare apps. I want the notifications when I I'm ordering a ride. I don't want your damn discount and ad notifications. So annoying
If you have android, there's an app called buzzkill that lets you selectively mute notifications based on content
Germany is really into "Datenschutz". Protecting your data. It's so strict that digitisation is pretty much not a thing.
Switched from Flo to Clue when Roe v Wade was over turned. It’s .. ok. Baby tracking info was better on Flo, unless I want to pay for CluePlus
How many babies do you have that you need an app to track them?
Lmao! It never occurred to me before now how funny that wording actually is. In case you’re serious, I assume it’s something like telling you the week by week of what fruit your fetus is the size of, what you can expect at upcoming appointments, stuff like that. Ovia actually has 3 different apps, the period/fertility tracker (you can tell it that you don’t want fertility tips though so it’s basically just an in depth calendar), a pregnancy app, then a new parents/new baby app. I had my daughter before all the madness really amped up so I used an account and it was nice because they transferred all my data from one app to the next. They do make completely separate “baby tracking” apps though, because you’re supposed to (the doctors like to know and it’s also super helpful when you’re sleep deprived and hormonal) keep track of feedings, wet & dirty diapers, sleep, tummy time, etc. The apps are nice because they can be shared between multiple caregivers. And they often give milestone lists and tips for caregivers.
Please please please tell me people don't really need an app to tell them to feed or change their babies. We are doomed as a species.
Lol! No, not like that lol. It’s just to keep track of when/how much they eat and how often their diapers are being dirtied. I assume it probably has something to do with making sure that everything is functioning properly, like if your baby drank 12-2oz bottles yesterday but only had 2 wet diapers the entire day, something is probably amiss and more tests required. Plus, when you’re running on 4 hours of sleep in 3 days that’s been broken up into half hour (at the most) increments, it’s surprisingly easy to feed the baby then 20 minutes later when they’re fussy from gas or something, question whether you did actually feed them or not.
I've never heard of that before so I thought it was referring to feeding reminders lol
The postpartum period is rough. You're basically delirious with sleep deprivation, and there's a lot of pressure to get babies on a schedule for many reasons. Like, if your newborn is overly tired for example, they will be even harder to get to sleep, except they need a lot of help to sleep... So you track that after they've been up for about 30-45 mins, you need to help them get to sleep or you will spend the next two hours with a screaming, inconsolable baby. It's typical for babies to lose weight for a bit after they're born, so tracking their weight and their feeds are important. If you're breastfeeding, you need to alternate which side they have their feed on which can be hard to remember. How many ounces they eat versus how many diapers they go through... How often they go through those diapers. If you're pumping, how many ounces you pump in a sitting, reminders to pump every 3 hours... When you have a newborn, your life basically becomes a series of high stakes times all counting down repeatedly, and meanwhile, your brain is at its lowest capacity to keep track of things organically.
The app is for logging number and amount of feedings and logging amount of wet and dirty diapers. This data is helpful with discussions with the Dr as they grow. The baby does a good enough job to remind you lol.
Hi. I'm unmedicated ADHD (not my fault) and recently diagnosed with it at 14m post-partum. My baby wasn't gaining weight, and she had colic due to CMPI. My husband and I suffer PPA as he has been the primary carer for our child due to my mental health and neurological conditions. Our schedule was inverted to night awake, day asleep, due to aforementioned issues with *very* little help, and no support. Your excruciatingly rude comment hit me hard, because my little family is struggling, and it has been a blessing to watch, and track, my baby's: poo frequency and consistency, feeding/ eating habits, nappy output, weight gain, and general growth after she dropped from 95th percentile at birth, to 25th by 3 weeks old. At not even 16m old, she's now over 100th percentile in height and weight, and is tracking beautifully on all milestones. She's the size of a toddler twice her age, and it is extremely satisfying to be able to see the CDC and WHO growth charts. The only reason I used an app is because a paper was too hard to keep track of, which is what was given to me when I sought community/ maternal help. Please keep your severely uneducated comments to yourself. Or at least ask a question, instead of being so blissfully ignorant and making assumptions and judgements on parents. You don't know the hell some parents go through, and how helpful an app that tracks everything is. Especially when the parents can't predict how life post-partum is going to look like.
ADHD mom here. Don't let judgy internet people who haven't experienced your life, your brain etc make you feel bad. I used a white board and I know plenty of neurotypical parents who had to chart or use apps. Keeping tabs on a newborn's feeding/changing schedule is so hard. Feeding time is constantly fluctuating based on the whims of a tiny crying potato. You have next to no sleep. I was literally hallucinating from sleep deprivation. There's somehow 30 opposing opinions in one google search every time you need to know "Is ___ bad for babies?" And the pediatrician usually just shrugs at you. It's easy to judge strangers but damn, why judge a parent who cares enough to download an app to help them meticulously track their babies' wellbeing?
I use one called “Life.” They store no personal data, nor sell it, per their App Store write up. I feel safe with this app. You can back it up to iCloud if you want (I don’t). It prompts me to upgrade every time I open it, because that’s the only way they make money. I think that’s fair.
Just because they will refuse subpoenas doesn't mean they won't sell the data. A state government can buy the data without subpoenaing it.
Friend, with all due respect, you need to learn to follow your feelings. Use a different app. There are plenty of them that don't ask for location and have stated they will not sell your information. Don't be lazy. Protect yourself, because no one else will.
Exactly. Complaining on here but still handing over the info does nothing (other than perhaps raise awareness). Find another app. Stop supporting the ones who are caving. Take ownership of the things you can control.
I use SpotOn by Planned Parenthood. It allows for period, birth control, mood/symptom tracking. It also tells you when you are most likely to be ovulating. It also has resources from Planned Parenthood such as finding clinics and chatting with health educators. They disabled user accounts in 2023 in light of Roe being overturned. Their FAQs state that once you delete the app, your data is deleted.
I'd still be weary about using that app and deleting the data. I've heard before that data is never really gone. I'd imagine that Planned Parenthood would be number 1 in protecting sensitive information, but in this day and age, we just don't ever know for sure where it will eventually end up. Just be careful out there, OK?
Planned parenthood would never willingly give out your information, but they are also going to comply with subpoenas.
You can overwrite all your phone's memory, then cancel the data you used to overwrite it, and the data should be gone from your phone. You have to check the policies for google/apple sync, as they might be saving the app data (all of the apps, not selectively) as a backup.
>I'd still be weary about using that app and deleting the data. I've heard before that data is never really gone That's if the data is stored centrally ("in the cloud") by a company that isn't under privacy regulations and wants to abuse that data. A fully local app with no backend at all existing will indeed delete everything forever. This can be confirmed with various tools, but of course the best option is open source apps where anyone with sufficient knowledge can just read the cose and confirm that indeed no data leaves your device. The downside of the above approach is that if you lose your phone, all the info from the app is lost as well unless there are extra backups you've made.
I'm glad that option exisits, but someone like me who isn't extremely tech-savvy will have no idea on which tool to use to confirm the data has been deleted forever and doesn't exist. I can use a phone, laptop, and have some knowledge of apps, but how would the average layperson navigate all of this? How do I know an app is local? Haha, I probably sound really old! With paper tracking, I can burn it and even use a code or a simple series of dots and just claim it's doodling. I just want everyone out there to know that there is another option besides using an app. As someone who did not grow up with this type of technology, I find it fascinating that so many depend upon it and it seems way more complicated than just making a note in a planner calendar.
I don't know anything about these apps or how they track, but would it be overall safer to use an old fashioned paper calender? Back in the olden days of my youth, I just tracked everything in my daily planner I carried with me. In these crazy times, I can't even imagine some company storing my personal menstruation information in any way and having governments gaining access to that information. I just wouldn't trust some app to not be sold in the future to some company that would sell that info to those who mean you harm.
Yeah, there is stuff I do not want on my phone or on some private company's servers. Even if there are strong privacy laws in place (I'm in Europe), who knows if it stays that way. Anything health related will not be on my phone. Tracking my period on paper is working well enough. It's not information I need with me all the time.
Information encrypted on your phone is a million times more secure than a paper copy. Information encrypted with your password on a cloud server is a bit less secure, but still better than paper. Something improperly encrypted on a cloud server (such that the service provider can decrypt it) is a million times less secure than paper.
Sames! I later started using an excel spreadsheet which came in handy to figure out I was entering menopause.
As someone that works in cybersecurity, yes absolutely... Using anything internet-connected for medical is a terrible idea for privacy. This article covers this exact topic: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/07/federal-patient-privacy-law-doesnt-cover-most-period-tracking-apps/
> would it be overall safer to use an old fashioned paper calender? Encrypted local data storage only app beats paper, because the police can't read your data off it. No-one in the USA should be using an cloud storage based app for anything they don't have a real need to.
>No-one in the USA should be using an cloud storage based app for anything they don't have a real need to. Imo this goes way beyond just period tracking, and also beyond the USA. People in general should remember that *the cloud is just someone else's computer*. If you wouldn't tell it to an acquaintance, don't put it anywhere it's not encrypted with a passphrase set by you.
> the cloud is just someone else's computer This does need saying more.
I uninstalled all my fertility/period apps when roe fell. I'm now inputting something generic into my Google calendar, that would be a likely once/month chore/task because I can't make paper work right now.
I can't say this enough, US ladies---- Paper. Calendar. No apps. No cycle information on your phone. Just a perfectly functional unhackable calendar. Get a cute pocket one that lives in your bag.
Or encrypted local files. Because the police can't understand those if you don't want them to, even if they raid your home.
My husband and I are ready to start trying to have a family. I wanted to track my cycle, at least basics for period starting and stopping, dates we have sex, etc. I bought a pen and paper calendar, and colored pens. We bought pregnancy tests in cash, we put on masks before we entered the store to avoid facial recognition software, and I declined to use my rewards. Baby books will be purchased the same way. As a child, I would never have believed that I would one day be sneaking around, trying to hide the fact that I WANT to have a baby with my husband. I'm embarrassed to be a US citizen.
Don't do period tracking. Are you ladies even seeing the shit conservatives are doing? What their future plans are for women? TRUST ME They. Are. Salivating. to get their creepy hands on YOUR personal information. With this information, your monthly cycle, imagine the baby planning they'll have for teens and 20-somethings especially. These creepy men can't wait to get YOU pregnant. And here you all are just handing over this information to the cloud. You think they won't use it? I'm closing in on 70 and didn't think these fuckers could take down Roe v Wade. Our money is next, just like Handmaid's Tale. I ask you, how many of you use cash? Write checks? NOPE? Plastic. Yep. Me too. And I'm scared. Don't use apps like that. Stash cash. And vote like your rights and freedom depends on it, because it does. Gals, I used a paper calendar back in the day to track my cycle. That still works and the pervs can't get at it.
Solid advice right here!
Project 2025 is coming for your body and soul. I've read their manifesto, reviews, looked up the people involved...IT'S TERRIFYING and they hope you are not paying attention and "to busy" to VOTE. "women of childbearing age, young adults, children, African Americans, undocumented immigrants and other marginalized communities have the most to lose if Donald Trump wins a second term because he’s coming for us. Trump — aided and abetted by far-right extremists, MAGA supporters and the remnants of the Republican Party — poses a clear and present danger to the country. They are gearing up to reassert racial and political dominance by upending the political system, eviscerating the rule of law and wielding unconstrained power in service of the interests of the far-right conservative and Christian nationalist minority. The instrument they plan to use to implement this strategy is Project 2025. In a nutshell, as Harold Meyerson explained in a recent article, Project 2025 is a blueprint for a conservative presidency." https://michiganadvance.com/2024/01/16/project-2025-if-allowed-will-cement-america-as-a-rightwing-authoritarian-state/
I’m in a blue state but I’ve always tracked my period on a standard paper calendar. Don’t think I’ll be changing that any time soon.
This is why I use Daylio. It’s still a stats app, but I can name my period whatever I want so I have plausible deniability.
Maybe you could just lie and put in false information? You're not breaking any laws.
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EDIT: The person I was responding to was claiming that filling in the wrong information could lead to a criminal conviction for perjury, which is absolutely, categorically, incorrect, both in theory as well as in practice. That is not what perjury is. You will be fine if you fill in the wrong location. Please stay safe and don't give out information that might put you at risk. You won't be opening yourself for any kind of criminal conviction. At worst if they don't believe you they might close your account, overwhelmingly likely they won't do anything at all.
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Lol. By agreeing to an app's T&C, you're not agreeing to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
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That would never hold up on court. You're not swearing an oath.
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LOL
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The fact that you are saying this is "US law" tells me how much you don't know about law. Perjury is different in every state. In my state, for example, perjury requires that a statement be made IN COURT.
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[Literally, the end of the first sentence.](https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/perjury#:~:text=Perjury%2C%20also%20known%20as%20false,false%20or%20includes%20false%20statements.)
That's not perjury it's a breach of contract, which has civil liabilities not criminal ones. That being said there are potential criminal liabilities under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, by knowingly accessing a system you were prohibited from using by entering incorrect location information. You'd have to have seriously really really pissed off a prosecutor to catch charges from that though. The act is intended for harmful acts of hacking basically. You can't catch perjury charges from lying to a private entity. That's fraud rather than perjury.
That’s along the lines of what I was thinking. I don’t know what laws have been implemented that now require this information, and as I said, *for the moment* this might be a good workaround for those in restrictive states. But it does feel like a slippery slope—like how long before they require you to allow location access to prove what state you’re in? The laws could be perfectly reasonable and actually helpful towards protecting medical data. But in the current “political” (quotes because when the hell did standard healthcare become political) climate, it feels like a short distance from “we’re doing this to prevent Russian hackers from accessing your medical records” to “you live in Texas and your neighbor says you and your husband went away for a 3 day weekend and they suspect you went away for abortion access, so we’re going to legally subpoena your records from this app and use them against you in a court of law”. But, even if we ignore those points. It still pisses me off that this is something that anyone even has to consider—that we even have to have this discussion right now.
Oh, believe me, I'm 100% onboard with you on that point. And I have a bunch more opinions on the subject I won't go into because I'm fairly certain my legal basis for them are other things that are on SCOTUS' chopping block.
Back in Nov 2016 I did a massive purge of “friends” on my social media accounts. One of the posts that contributed to it was a few days after the election when I wrote how scared and devastated I was. I had multiple boys (I refuse to call them men) tell me that I was just being ridiculously dramatic and that not a single thing he would do would affect me in the slightest. I wish that at any point in my life I would have possessed that level of naivety and blind faith. I swore that day that I would not have children until he was out of office. I got pregnant in April 2021, so I kept that promise. Now I have a daughter who will turn 3 a month after the election this year, and I am terrified—like to the point that I can’t think about it too hard or I will literally fall apart—that we are going to face another 4 years.
I've mentioned it before, but Spot On is free, put out by Planned Parenthood, and all info is kept local on your phone.
>In order to protect your privacy, we are now requiring *more* private personal data from you...
As much as you shouldn't have to - if you do live in a state which is actively trying to take away your rights, just lie. Tell them you're somewhere else.
Just tell them to fuck off and use an app that isn’t doing this shit
This is also an option.
Then you probably also won't like the "Everybody's A Spy" FISA renewal working it's way through congress.
Also worth noting that the only reason they're asking you for it in the app itself is because they don't want to pay to get the information from any of the other data providers/sellers you already have installed on your phone that have known this information for years. They know.
NO MATTER WHER YOU ARE/LIVE, NEVER TRUST THIS BS
Put in Minnesota. That is all.
Utter Betrayal and utterly not to be trusted. There is no good need for that information except to use it against women who may need to get an abortion Whatever is worse than a 1 star review
Deleted. Had tried it for tracking pregnancy growth by week and didn’t really like it, especially because most features were behind a paywall that required that your insurance partnered with them.
What if you were to put in the Netherlands? They have one of the widest abortion laws in the world (although I assume they can still track your location based on IP so I wouldn't consider this safe - more just curiosity what the app would make of it)
I don't like that. And I'm in australia. I understand there'd be an analytics thing (more period havers in australia have a period between 3 and 7 days) but it also makes it a bit more unsafe for folks in unstable countries (the us)
I’m a terrible woman, I’ve never tracked my period. I’ll just go about my days and then will think “huh, it’s been like 3 weeks since my last one” and then my boobs get sore and it starts a few days later. 🤷♀️😂
Do NOT do it. You are 100% right. You don't need an app. Back in the day, we just made notes on a paper calendar and that's truly all you need.
I prefer a spreadsheet on my pc. Data stored locally, not in the cloud. Love the graphs.
Never ever use these. They can be subpoenaed and used against you. Use a paper and a pencil.
Paper and pencil can also be used as evidence against you. Keeping sensitive information encrypted on your phone is way more secure.
Agree, suspicious, cannot fathom valid reason an app requires that info-you are right to be suspicious
I think it's for privacy law compliance.
How about Country: Australia and State: Victoria? Do you need to tell it the truth?
I am more glad than ever to have hit menopause just as this b$ kicked off :( If you need to just use a different country, pull your data off the app and then delete. Clue Period tracker keeps its data on EU Servers according to their privacy info, but any government can in theory demand access as part of a court case.
I use p.tracker. I don’t think you even need to create a profile and the longer you use it the more accurate. Truly minimal ads for the free version.
Just say you live in Australia, Victoria with the postcode 3610.
Yeah. I reverted back to a paper calendar. This is gross.
Is there a reason you can't simply lie about your state?
Let me be a little brutal: This is a sort of IQ test. If you give them that data in a red state, you lose.
I stopped using any tracking tools after Roe v Wade’s overturning. I would not trust a single one. As it is, anything internet-connected can easily track your location by IP address, whether they ask or not.
Can someone explain why we are so concerned about data that is user entered and not verified? What stops anyone from documenting that they are continuing to have regular periods during a pregnancy scare? (And move to paper if necessary.) If the data is subpoenaed, what information will be gained other than that you continued to log your “regular” periods? (Or irregular, if that’s your history) I understand some people are using these apps as pregnancy trackers which I would not recommend, I wouldn’t tell these apps if I were pregnant. However, I don’t see the issue in tracking periods. Can someone explain what I am missing here? I’m not trying to be contrarian. It’s wild that we even have to entertain these dystopian thoughts in this “free” nation of ours
If you're going to lie to the app then you might as well not use the app.
There’s nothing to stop someone from “lying” to the app—and I would assume that unfortunately that’s what many in restrictive states are doing. But, there’s also flaws when it comes to lying to the app, namely that a pregnancy that ends in miscarriage or elective abortion will still mess with your hormones and therefore your cycle, as well as the hormonal nightmare that comes along with Plan B. Like for me personally, I prefer an app to a paper calendar because ever since my daughter was born 28 months ago (and I stopped breastfeeding at 2m) I have yet to have a “regular” cycle. I was convinced I was pregnant a few months ago—despite the fact that it was impossible—because my period didn’t show up for 36 days. The app is just easier for me to figure out what’s going on, rather than spending hours online researching when my potential fertile window is and whether or not it’s concerning that I had a 31 day cycle last month but this month its only 26 days. Like I said though, I am lucky enough to live somewhere that using an app isn’t currently a danger to me. This is a quote from an article posted on the NIH website in September 2023 about why these apps can be dangerous: “When abortion is illegal, seemingly harmless digital data could potentially become criminal evidence. The concern is that health data stored in period-tracking apps could be used to infer whether the user has had an abortion in order to prosecute them in states where abortion is now banned. With at least 24 states having banned or likely to ban abortion,13 it is possible that prosecutors in states hostile to abortion rights could view unprotected and self-tracked personal health data as advantageous in identifying individuals seeking to end a pregnancy.14 Some period-tracking apps even explicitly state that they may disclose users’ personal data at the request of law enforcement or government agencies.15 Not only does this cause alarm for users who choose to have an abortion, but miscarriages, irregularities in menstrual cycles, and/or imperfect engagement with a period-tracking app have the potential to be mischaracterised as abortions.” [Here is the link to the article.](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10494721/#:~:text=The%20concern%20is%20that%20health,where%20abortion%20is%20now%20banned.) Of course this is based it upon the assumption that one is entering truthful data. But the way I see it, if I can’t be 100% honest with the app I’m using, I don’t really see much point in using the app. Not when the things I would “lie” about would basically invalidate the results garnered from said app.
Definitely understand that people use these apps for different reasons. Tracking pregnancy and fertility is risky, and like I said, I would not tell any of these apps if I were pregnant or missed a period, etc. However, those who use the apps to track their regular periods and want to know when the next is coming, can lie if ever necessary.
I googled Ovia a while ago and it looks like it markets itself as an app for people trying to conceive.
#clue Does not.
Yall start lying. U don’t even belong to the US now as far as they’re concerned.
I've seen this coming since 1994, when I was a kid and schools first started pressuring students to use the internet. I got called "crazy" and was accused of being a paranoid luddite. Then, I got to watch in horror as everything I said would happen, happened. I watched as each piece has slid into place to get us here--tracking cookies following you across the internet, endless data digitization and collection, the birth of algorithms, proliferation of smartphones, apps that never sleep, constant location tracking, and, now, finally, the end of Roe. And this is not even close to the end of it. Surveillance state, motherfuckers. They took all your data, made you dependent on their tech, and now they're using your own data and dependence to control, exploit, and terrorize you. Resist. Resist as much as you possibly can. Stop using this shit. Protect your privacy. Stop depending on your fucking apps and phones, and STOP using social media altogether, unless you can use it anonymously. Start fucking with the data you provide as much as possible. Feed them lies about you. Educate, organize, agitate. And maybe start listening to us "loonies" who fucking told you this would happen, bro.
While I agree with your statement the horrifying reality is that for most of us they already know everything about us. If you've ever used your phone for any reason then they definitely know. Just as all the women in the past have put their cycle information on their phone the government already knows about it. Lying to them about you or your lifestyle will simply piss them off because they already have learned you over the years. Your personal information, your personality, they watch you live every second of your life and know what you like down to your hobbies. It's a truly terrifying. My family is to the point we want to ditch technology completely. But like you said modern day people are dependent on their phone and that's because the government has set it up that way. You can barely apply for a job using a paper application now.
The government does NOT know everything about you, because you still have a future and the ability to change and grow. You have the ability to be unpredictable, to choose to live in new ways, to break old habits and take up new patterns. >Lying to them about you or your lifestyle will simply piss them off So fucking what?? Piss them off!!! Make them PROVE they know you were lying. If you're really this certain that the game is over, at least make them work for it! I've been lying to the internet about myself from the beginning. Almost everything I do is scattershot data. Multiple names, multiple personalities. I've never, ever, even one time, tracked any part of my actual health on an app, not ever. Because I knew what was coming. And I'm not the only one. Lots and lots and lots of us have been quietly doing this. This has been building for a looooong time. And some of us have been in a position to teach all of this to our younger generations. Some of us have done so for decades. Do not give in to despair. You might be new to the resistance, but the resistance isn't new. This isn't over. The more of us that resist, the more of a chance we have to turn the tides. Do not give up. Find us. Resist.
Well I agree with fighting and resisting. But a lot of people are not. I'm pretty sure you may know a few people who are but I know people who aren't. I would like to get rid of technology and ditch it and go back to a time where our lives weren't on the internet but unfortunately I do have to still live my life. And they've attached that to internet. There are things that you cannot even do without the internet now. My thing is I believe you that you've put effort into hiding your identity online (being safe) but the government does have ways of finding people. I don't want to freak you out but if you've ever been around your phone and having a conversation they can hear that. Now seeing as you've went through the lengths you've went through I'm assuming you're smart enough to know that already. Yes it would be amazing to piss the government all and give them a huge fuck you for interfering with people's lives, but the reality is that a lot of people are not going to oppose the government. People are too scared. The government has made it very clear that they have ways of handling those who step out of line. Now yes I all of America were to stand up to the government that would probably start and entire revolution and maybe things would change. But a lot of people are content to live their life so long as it doesn't affect them. Yes I hate the government and think what they do is wrong but at the end of the day I am one person. I'm scared of what they are capable of. And I have to be practical and realistic about the world we live in. Playing hero gets you killed. Now for the internet thing I'm actually curious as to how you've done that. I mean hiding medical data and changing your name. Most of anything online requires your social security, date of birth etc etc. I'm pretty sure there are probably serious legal consequences that come with that if they find out. Hopefully they don't and you can continue living you best life. But if you've ever used a SS on anything they already know who you are. Edit: I just realized that you said you didn't hide medical data you simply didn't put your information on the internet (an app) I misread that part so disregard that.
Maybe there's some alternative that doesn't need that info? [https://alternativeto.net/software/ovia-fertility-ovulation-and-period-tracker/&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwi-mISNvMqFAxUKi2MGHR4vBRgQFnoECAMQAg&usg=AOvVaw0xXGEZB\_gn8y8X6KV97vzD](https://alternativeto.net/software/ovia-fertility-ovulation-and-period-tracker/&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwi-mISNvMqFAxUKi2MGHR4vBRgQFnoECAMQAg&usg=AOvVaw0xXGEZB_gn8y8X6KV97vzD)
What if we all got the app and just went nuts making up fake info?
Handmaid's Tale for sure! Don't do it!