Period Tracking Apps' AI Systems Cause Privacy and Safety Risks for Women

Period tracking apps use AI systems to collect and analyze sensitive reproductive and health data. The report documents real harms resulting from the use and misuse of this data, including discrimination, privacy violations, and reproductive control, which are direct consequences of the AI systems' data processing and sharing. The harms are materialized and significant, meeting the criteria for an AI Incident under violations of human rights and harm to communities.

Period tracking apps qualify as AI systems because they process and infer from user data to provide personalized tracking and predictions. The report documents that the development and use of these AI systems have directly led to harms such as privacy violations, potential discrimination in insurance and employment, and safety risks from data misuse. These harms fall under violations of human rights and harm to communities. The commercial sale and sharing of sensitive data with third parties exacerbate these harms. Hence, the event meets the criteria for an AI Incident.

The event involves AI systems in the form of period tracking apps that collect and process sensitive health data. The misuse of this data has directly led to violations of human rights and privacy, such as government surveillance targeting abortion providers and potential discrimination by employers and insurers. These harms fall under violations of human rights and breach of obligations to protect fundamental rights. Therefore, this qualifies as an AI Incident due to the realized harm caused by the AI system's use and misuse.

The menstrual tracking apps use AI systems to collect and analyze intimate data, which has directly led to harms such as privacy violations and potential discrimination, including legal actions against women. The article references actual cases where such data has been used in judicial investigations and to restrict access to abortion, indicating realized harm. This fits the definition of an AI Incident because the AI system's use has directly or indirectly led to violations of human rights and breaches of privacy, which are harms under the framework. The article also discusses the broader societal implications and calls for regulatory responses, but the core event is the realized harm from AI system use in these apps.

The event involves AI systems insofar as menstrual tracking apps use AI or algorithmic data processing to monitor and analyze user health data. The harms described include violations of privacy and potential breaches of fundamental rights (human rights and reproductive rights), which have already occurred or are ongoing. Therefore, the event describes realized harms directly linked to the use of AI systems in these apps, qualifying it as an AI Incident rather than a hazard or complementary information. The article does not merely warn of potential harm but documents actual risks and cases where data have been used in harmful ways.

The menstrual tracking apps described involve AI systems that process sensitive health and behavioral data to generate user profiles and targeted advertising. The article documents actual harms resulting from the use and misuse of these AI systems, including privacy violations, discrimination, surveillance, and restrictions on abortion access, which constitute violations of human rights and harm to communities. The involvement of AI in data collection, profiling, and sharing is central to these harms. Hence, this qualifies as an AI Incident under the OECD framework because the AI system's use has directly and indirectly led to significant harm.