Why Mozilla is Scrutinizing the Privacy of Pregnancy Apps

Today, Mozilla is publishing the latest version of *Privacy Not Included. We investigated the privacy and security features and flaws of 10 pregnancy apps, 10 period trackers, and 5 wearables. The results are grim: Most of these products collect vast amounts of personal data, and then share it widely.

Mozilla has been publishing *Privacy Not Included several times a year for the better half of a decade — and this edition feels like the most urgent one yet. It’s set against the backdrop of Roe versus Wade being repealed in the U.S. — a watershed, once-in-a-generation decision with privacy as a core tenet.

During my time at Mozilla, I’ve sometimes encountered individuals who are skeptical about our online privacy work — people who see online privacy as an abstract issue, or one with few real-world consequences. I’ve always pushed back against this conception. And now, in a post-Roe era, that conception becomes even less defensible.

These apps — and just about every other app and gadget on the market — have data collection as the foundation of their business model. They can track our vital signs, where we go, when we go there, and who we are. This means that now, our surviellance economy could be used to track, harrass, arrest, and even prosecute a person seeking an abortion.

But Mozilla didn’t publish this edition of *Privacy Not Included to alarm or scare consumers. We published it for the same reason we always do: To educate and equip consumers. People shouldn’t leave this latest edition feeling discouraged. Rather, they should feel empowered — empowered about which apps to use, which to avoid, and how to judge the technologies that we use everyday. Because now more than ever, consumers need to be empowered when it comes to privacy.