ICO to investigate data security of period and fertility tracking apps

The ICO has recently launched a review of period and fertility tracking apps, focusing on concerns over data security and transparency.

The review follows a poll by the ICO in which a third of women said they used apps to track periods or fertility and over half expressed concern over the security of their data and how it was being used. The survey sought specific feedback on whether users had noticed an increase in online advertising of baby or fertility-related products and services since signing up: over half agreed that they had, with some describing this as distressing.

Vivien Zhu discusses the details surrounding the review, highlighting some potential for harm and negative impact on users and commenting that organisations must be especially careful when dealing with special category data, which is subject to additional protections pursuant to the UK and EU GDPR.