
Your Menstrual App Is Probably Selling Data About Your Body - andrewxhill
https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/8xe4yz/menstrual-app-period-tracker-data-cyber-security
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Rjevski
When you’re not paying for it, you’re the product being sold - no surprise
here.

I’m also curious as to why people insist on using shady third-party apps for
this while their phone’s OS already comes with a perfectly functional Health
app.

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kruczek
> When you’re not paying for it, you’re the product being sold

You're not the product being sold - data about you is the product being sold.
You are much more than that data. I find it either dishonest or extremely
cynical to suggest that data about people is equivalent with people
themselves.

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rdiddly
The distinction you're making is not particularly interesting. Of course they
don't literally sell people.

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kruczek
Then why call it as such? Yes, I know it is a catchy phrase which invokes
emotional response, but I think it diverts attention from the core of the
problem.

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rdiddly
Well maybe I'm not appreciating the core of the problem. What is it, as you
see it?

~~~
kruczek
The core of the problem obviously is the fact of sharing our data without our
permission and/or knowledge.

The issue I have with that phrase is that it is basically an appeal to
emotion; it doesn't focus on dialogue about why such unrestricted sharing of
data is bad and what can be done about it, but rather it encourages feeling of
helplessness ("I'm a product, owned and sold by corporations").

~~~
rdiddly
I see what you're saying. I guess it's an attempt to provoke outrage, but like
many other such tactics it can just as easily lead to apathy, if it's not
accompanied by actionable information for example.

