Data collected by period tracker apps sparks concerns

A new report by the Consumer Report, a US non-profit dedicated to consumer protection, shows that period tracker apps such as BabyCenter, Clue, Flo, My Calendar, and Ovia do no guarantee that information is not shared with third parties for marketing and other purposes.  While being used by nearly a third of women in the USA according to estimates, the report shows that information collected by such health-focused apps is not covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), a 1996 federal law that limits where healthcare providers can share your health information.