Warning: *Privacy Not Included with this product
Sanity & Self is a wellness app targeted at women and teen girls that calls itself "your self-care sidekick." Sure thing, we all need a sidekick! The app offers guided audio sessions on topics such as confidence, self-love, breakups, anxiety and stress. Free to download, users will pay around $60 for an annual subscription to unlock all 900+ audio sessions. The app also offers things like texting and 1:1 chats with experts to help deal with life's stresses and a community page where users can share their daily thoughts and feelings.
Moov, the company behind the app, is best known for their wearable fitness trackers. How's the privacy of your self-care sidekick? Well, as far as we can tell, it's a bit worrisome... The Moov privacy policy, which seems to cover their website, their fitness wearables, and this Sanity & Self app, is pretty vague about what they do with all the personal information this app is able to collect. And Consumer Reports found the app sends data to Facebook (as most apps do when you sign in with your Facebook login, which is why we recommend never doing that!). We certainly have some concerns about this app's privacy practices. We also have a question as to why our self-care sidekick needs access to the flashlight on our phone when we download the app? That just seems...weird.
Je, jambo gani linaweza kutokea mambo yakienda mrama?
First reviewed April 20, 2022. Review updated, April 25, 2023
Sanity & Self seems like it could no longer be supported by the app developer, even though it is still available for download in the Apple App Store. The last update to their privacy policy was January 31, 2020. And the last update to the app in the apps store was August, 2020. We don't recommend using apps that no longer are supported as they are not receiving update to manage security vulnerabilities and we can't tell how their privacy is managed. Nothing has changed over the past year for this app from our 2022 review. We still assign them our *Privacy Not Included warning label.
Read our review from 2022:
Sigh. Another mental health app with a vaguely worded privacy policy that leaves us with more questions than answers about what personal information they may be sharing with whom and for what purposes. Moov, the makers of Sanity & Self, are a fitness wearable company. Their privacy policy seems to cover everything from their website, their fitness wearables, and this mental health app.
The app's privacy policy says they can collect a whole bunch of personal information including name, contact information, location, reason for seeking a virtual coach, your occupation, information about your family, your exercise habits, your feelings, concerns and priorities, information about your relationships, and any other information you provide. And by providing that information, you are consenting to it being used by the company for things that aren't exactly made clear in their privacy policy. We assume that could include targeted advertising and marketing, but it could also include more. Moov's privacy policy does say they aren't in the business of selling your personal information, so that is good at least.
What's the worst that could happen? Well, they do collect a whole lot of personal information, including precise location information and they might share that and other personal information with who knows who for who knows why, we simply couldn't tell And we couldn't confirm they meet our Minimum Security Standards, so that information may or may not be secure. We're all for self-care here at *Privacy Not Included. We'd just hate for the world to know you listen to self-love audio sessions on repeat all day long while chatting with an expert about how you're feeling after downing that entire pint of ice cream (we've been there world, we've been there).
Vidokezi vya kujilinda
- Opt out from receiving marketing notifications.
- Do not provide data about others (your relationships, family, etc.) without their permission.
- Do not log in using third-party accounts
- Do not connect to any third party via the app, or at least make sure that a third party employs decent privacy practices
- Do not give consent for sharing of personal data for marketing and advertisement.
- Choose a strong password! You may use a password control tool like 1Password, KeePass etc
- Do not use social media plug-ins.
- Use your device privacy controls to limit access to your personal information via app (do not give access to your camera, microphone, images, location unless neccessary) - Keep your app regularly updated
- Limit ad tracking via your device (e.g. on iPhone go to Privacy -> Advertising -> Limit ad tracking) and biggest ad networks (for Google, go to Google account and turn off ad personalization)
- Request your data be deleted once you stop using the app. Simply deleting an app from your device usually does not erase your personal data.
- When starting a sign-up, do not agree to tracking of your data if possible.
Unaweza kunichunguza?
Kamera
Kifaa: Haihusiki
Programu: Ndiyo
Kipaza sauti
Kifaa: Haihusiki
Programu: Ndiyo
Inafuatilia eneo
Kifaa: Haihusiki
Programu: Ndiyo
Unaweza kutumia nini kujisajili?
Barua pepe
Ndiyo
Simu
Hapana
Akaunti ya mhusika mwingine
Hapana
Kampuni inakusanya data gani?
Ya kibinafsi
Name, contact information, reason for seeking a virtual coach, your occupation
Shirika linalohusiana
Your exercise habits, your feelings, concerns and priorities
Kijamii
Information about your family, information about your relationships, and any other information you provide
Je, kampuni inatumiaje data hii?
Unawezaje kudhibiti data yako?
Je, rekodi ya kampuni inayojulikana ya kulinda data ya watumiaji ni gani?
No known privacy or security incidents discovered in the last 3 years.
Taarifa ya Faragha ya Mtoto
Je, bidhaa hii inaweza kutumika nje ya mtandao?
Maelezo ya faragha yanayofaa watumiaji?
Viungo vya taarifa za faragha
Je, bidhaa hii inakidhi Viwango vyetu vya Chini Zaidi vya Usalama?
Usimbaji fiche
Nenosiri thabiti
Masasisho ya usalama
Inashughulikia hatari
Sera ya faragha
Chunguza kwa Kina
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Mental health apps have terrible privacy protections, report findsThe Verge
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'Creepy' Mental Health And Prayer Apps Are Sharing Your Personal DataForbes
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Mental health and prayer apps have some of the worst privacy protections, study claims, finding they 'track, share and capitalize' on users intimate thoughts and feelingsDaily Mail
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Peace of Mind...Evaluating the Privacy Practices of Mental Health AppsConsumer Reports
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The Digital Standard Case Study: Mental Health AppsThe Digital Standard
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Mental Health Apps Aren't All As Private As You May ThinkConsumer Reports
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Moov gets into mindfulness with launch of ‘Sanity & Self’ app for womenTechCrunch
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This New App Makes Self-Care Quick & Easy When You Don’t Have Time For A Face MaskElite Daily
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Self-care apps want to make us happy. So why do they make us feel so bleak?Mashable
Maoni
Una maoni? Tuambie.