Period-tracking app Flo is launching a new “anonymous mode” for its iOS app that’s designed to protect people's information from the prying eyes of law enforcement.
On Wednesday, Flo began rolling out the anonymous mode, which can let users access the app without linking their personal details—including name, email and IP address—to their activity.
Flo originally announced the feature in June in response to the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which protected abortion rights in the US. Since then, at least 12 states have banned the medical procedure, which has sparked concerns that prosecutors and police will go after abortion seekers by subpoening personal data from tech companies.
Flo is among the period-tracking apps that can help users keep detailed logs on their menstruation cycle, including when they’ve become pregnant. Although the company does not sell any user information to data brokers, it can still share a user’s personal data with law enforcement in response to subpoenas, court orders, or other legal processes.
So to offer greater privacy, Flo decided to develop the new anonymous mode, after hearing feedback from users concerned about the overturning of Roe v. Wade. “They were worried about the implications of continuing to use period tracking apps like Flo,” Flo VP for Product Cath Everett told The Verge.
The new feature works by essentially creating a new account for the user, which can store the health data on Flo’s servers, but without any of the personal identifying details linked to it. This includes stripping out metadata such as payment identifiers, Google/Apple IDs, and other advertising identifiers.
The approach means Flo can still serve personalized insights to users enlisted in the anonymous mode, but without knowing who they exactly are. “In the event we received an official request to identify a user by name or email, we wouldn't be able to satisfy this request,” the company wrote in a FAQ. This also applies to paid Premium users of the service.
However, there are some drawbacks with the new privacy feature. “Once this mode is activated, you will no longer be able to recover data if your device is lost, changed, or stolen, and there may be limitations to using the app’s full features,” the company said. “This is why Flo is offering Anonymous Mode as an option rather than the default.”
Users can access the new privacy feature by going into the iOS app’s settings, and tapping their profile picture. The anonymous mode is also coming to the Android version of the app.