The period tracking app Ovia has been widely criticized for requesting that users identify their country and state of residence, leaving some to vow to leave the app.
Concerned users fear this data could be used to track women who have illegal abortions in states where the practice is prohibited.
Due to the app’s ability to track missed periods, Ovia could, in theory, be used to track when abortions are carried out illegally.
The app could also reveal when an abortion is performed beyond the designated timeframes allowed for certain legal procedures.
Criticism of the app followed a post on Instagram from the feminist account @agirlhasnopresident.
The post read: “The ovulation tracking app, ‘Ovia’, now mandates you identify what state you live in. Delete immediately and warn other women.”
In the post’s caption, the account warned that a national ban on abortion, the criminal prosecution of abortions, and jail time for reporting sexual assault were “coming.”
The caption continued: “Do not leave a digital imprint of this anywhere, and stock up on abortion pills and plan b in case you or someone else needs it.”
In the comments, multiple women vowed to delete the app, while others suggested alternatives that anonymize data or comply with stricter data protection laws, such as those in the EU.
Reacting to the post, one user commented: “This makes me so angry for women's health. All these apps created by women to help other women and the police state is interfering. It's such an incredible rollback of progress.”
In a previous thread on Reddit, one user spoke about their concerns over location sharing within the app in the aftermath of the Dobbs decision in 2022.
This decision held that abortion was not a protected right under the Constitution, and therefore gave states greater autonomy over limiting or outlawing abortion.
The user describes being blocked from using the app until they input their country and state.
"I am pissed for all the women in all the states that have decided that their medical care is a sin," the user wrote. “For all the women that have been given one more reason to no longer feel safe tracking their cycles on their phones.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Ovia for comment but did not receive a reply.
Anger and concern over period-tracking apps have heightened amid speculation over a national abortion ban in America.
While campaigning, President Donald Trump repeatedly told reporters that abortion legislation would be “left up to the states.”
However, during his previous administration, Trump endorsed a 20-week national abortion ban that House Republicans backed.
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The post ‘This makes me so angry’: Ovia users react to period-tracking app’s state identification policy amid Trump-era abortion fears appeared first on The Daily Dot.
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