New Federal Bill Proposed to Curb Mass Collection of Privacy Data from Period Tracking Apps

Period-tracking apps gather intimate data. A new bill aims to curb mass collection

The “My Body, My Data Act” would require that companies only collect and retain reproductive health information that is “strictly needed” to provide one of their services, unless they otherwise obtain explicit consent from a user. And it would give users the right to demand that their information be deleted or for companies to disclose how they are using the data.***

 

The legislation would give the Federal Trade Commission the power to enforce the new standards but also give consumers the ability to launch their own lawsuits against companies in violation and allow states to implement privacy laws that build on the bill’s protections. ***

 

Given broad Republican opposition to expanding abortion protections and an evenly split Senate, Jacobs’s proposal is unlikely to become federal law. But she argued there’s momentum behind the effort that could inspire state-level action.

 

“We think this can be a model for states as they're trying to figure out how they can best protect people's right to abortion,” she said.