Real privacy issues
Why people keep worrying about health app data
Worry about health app privacy is not imaginary. Regulators have brought real cases where companies promised privacy, but sensitive health details were still shared in ways people did not expect.
Flo Health
The FTC case page says Flo Health settled allegations that it shared users' health information with outside analytics providers after promising that information would be kept private. That matters for anyone choosing a period tracking app, because cycle notes can be deeply personal.
GoodRx and BetterHelp
The FTC also brought cases involving GoodRx and BetterHelp over sensitive health information used or shared for advertising-related purposes. These were not period tracking apps, but they show the bigger pattern: health data can become advertising data if a product is built that way.
What open-cycle takes from this
open-cycle is intentionally small. No ads. No required account. No hidden analytics. No required cloud sync. It is a local phone-only period tracker because fewer data paths are easier for normal people to understand.