There are downsides with downloading their app just to input bad data, but it’s a fun thought.


edit: While we’re at it we might as well offer an alternative app to people.

I posted in [email protected] to collect recommendations for better apps

The post: https://lemmy.ca/post/32877620

Leading Recommendation from the comments

The leading recommendation seems to be Drip (bloodyhealth.gitlab.io)

Summarizing what people shared:

  • accessible: it is on F-droid, Google Play, & iOS App Store
  • does not allow any third-party tracking
  • the project got support from “PrototypeFund & Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the Superrr Lab and Mozilla”
  • Listed features:
    • “Your data, your choice: Everything you enter stays on your device”
    • “Not another cute, pink app: drip is designed with gender inclusivity in mind.”
    • “Your body is not a black box: drip is transparent in its calculations and encourages you to think for yourself.”
    • “Track what you like: Just your period, or detect your fertility using the symptothermal method.”

Their Mastodon: https://mastodon.social/@dripapp

  • AusatKeyboardPremi@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    3
    ·
    2 hours ago

    Why are such apps popular? Do these offer something more than what a combination of reminders and notes (digital or analog) providr?

    Perhaps, these apps offer some insights based on the data. But would one take the risk of listening to an app for medical advice?

  • MeaanBeaan@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    7
    arrow-down
    4
    ·
    2 hours ago

    Why in the world do we even need apps for this stuff? There is no reason to give your data to these companies at all.

    Here’s a crazy thought: get a journal. And write in it.

  • capital@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    4
    ·
    6 hours ago

    iOS has a first party health app that has menstrual tracking. I’m under the impression Apple takes data security seriously. If you don’t, self hosted is probably best.

  • pH3ra@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    15
    ·
    9 hours ago

    Calling an app that tracks menstrual cycle “Drip” is peak comedy

  • Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    39
    arrow-down
    3
    ·
    12 hours ago

    I don’t want to victim blame but if using an app is optional and it could get you in trouble with the law (regardless of how bad the law is), you should not use it.

    Having said that, as a dev, please pollute data as much as possible.

    Management needs to learn how valuable good data is and good data comes with proper consent (most people wouldn’t share their data if they could opt out).

    • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      7 hours ago

      That’s not great advice for people who weren’t afraid of law enforcement in the past and are now feeling exposed due to data they already gave away.

    • andros_rex@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      19
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      12 hours ago

      These apps are very helpful for people who have irregular cycles or who are family planning. I relied heavily on a similar app in high school, because my monthlies weren’t monthly. I was able to share that data with my doctors to help better understand my body.

      This really indicates a need for self-hosted solutions.

      • Olgratin_Magmatoe@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        7
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        edit-2
        11 hours ago

        Absolute worst case you could always keep track of it as a raw text/markdown/excel/Libre calc/whatever your preference is. You’re not going to get any predictions or useful data out.

        But it would at least provide a record for your doctor if need be. And as long as you encrypt the device you store it on, or the directory its stored in, it’s relatively safe to do so.

          • andros_rex@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            5
            ·
            8 hours ago

            This is a legitimate concern.

            A teenage girl who is looking to track her cycle is likely not educated on data security - as someone who works with teens, Gen Alpha is shockingly tech illiterate. They are going to go into the App Store, type “period tracker” and download the first thing that pops up.

            • alsimoneau
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              1
              arrow-down
              1
              ·
              2 hours ago

              They don’t know what a text file is.

              • Shardikprime@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                2
                arrow-down
                2
                ·
                1 hour ago

                They don’t know what a file is, but they can use an app store, to download an app, create an account, log in, and interface with the UI to load data.

                Got it

                • frostysauce@lemmy.world
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  4
                  arrow-down
                  1
                  ·
                  1 hour ago

                  Yes, actually. Downloading apps, making an account, logging in, and using an app are all things they have done before. Opening up Notepad on their computer (if they have one) and saving a text file then navigating back to it later and opening that file is something they probably have never done before.

              • lightnsfw@reddthat.com
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                6
                ·
                9 hours ago

                I CAN’T FIND MY DOCUMENT!!!

                Okay, where did you save it?

                I DON’T KNOW, I JUST CLICK SAVE LIKE ALWAYS!!!

                *remotes into workstation and clicks save only to find the file was saved in their temp directory*

                I had that conversation hundreds of times when I was doing desktop support…

          • medgremlin@midwest.social
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            4
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            11 hours ago

            Write it down on paper or put it in a word document or excel spreadsheet (or FOSS equivalent if you don’t have Office 365).

            From a medical perspective, a handwritten journal with dates and notes about the amount/consistency of the flow as well as associated symptoms would be the most useful. Having irregular periods that last for 3 days with very heavy bleeding would have a very different diagnostic approach than irregular periods that last 3 to 5 days with normal bleeding and horrible cramps.

          • Olgratin_Magmatoe@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            edit-2
            6 hours ago

            A potentially good option if you’re on Android is putting it in your secure folder. It’s basically just a sub directory for all your files, notes, and pictures, but it an encrypted form.

            So if you’re technical enough to understand jow to enter a password (most people), then you have an easy to use option. Just don’t forget your password, and don’t set it to something easy to crack. It’s the same rules for any other password.

            I’m sure there are similar options for windows/mac/ios

            But if you’re a more technical user, by all means it is in your interest to encrypt the whole thing.

            https://lemmy.world/post/21961202

    • bane_killgrind@slrpnk.net
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      12 hours ago

      Period tracking is a very good tool for understanding your health. Issues may be spotted very early in some cases.

      If it’s required for preventative healthcare, the blame is solely on the exploitative app operators for any data safety concerns.

  • vincenttwice@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    5
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    10 hours ago

    I’m so sorry ladies, but you had me until the Ts & Cs. This app is a privacy nightmare. I would put all of this energy into finding or crowd funding a better alternative.

  • zephorah@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    36
    ·
    17 hours ago

    You would think it wouldn’t be this easy, but given the incredible disconnect from reality on reporting late term abortion statistics, this could scramble data.

    For those who don’t know, the raw statistic of late term abortions comes down to late term terminations via a procedure used in pre 20week months to end a pregnancy. There’s little difference in logging the data. Babies can die inside, even as you’re trying to attend your own baby shower, like with that young girl who recently tried to get help from 3 Texas emergency rooms, but instead died due to the late term corpse rotting in her uterus.

    The procedure used to expel a stillbirth in the late term is an abortion. That is what pregnancy termination by procedure is: abortion. But the context of corpse removal is lost on political alarmists who don’t bother to do their own research on how/when the procedure is used in late term pregnancy, in favor of uneducated hysteria and the demonizing of women.

    My point is, given how resolutely people have not delved into the context of this data regarding stillbirths, messing with menstrual trackers can and probably will work, provided you don’t limit yourself to Flo.

    • leftytighty@slrpnk.net
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      12 hours ago

      I don’t think this is likely to work tbh. I’m sure the app has enough device data to link the user with a broader data profile that would easily eliminate data from people that don’t actually have periods.

      The data profiles people build on citizens aren’t limited to one data source, and emails/phone numbers/browser fingerprints/device details are all things that can be keyed between data sets to relate identities.

      Fascist law enforcement can and would do this kind of thing to chase individuals. This kind of noise seems easy to filter out.

  • AeonFelis@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    6
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    11 hours ago

    Okay, but since real menstrual cycles are typically highly regular - wouldn’t it be fairly easy to filter out the fake ones?

    • medgremlin@midwest.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      13
      ·
      11 hours ago

      Irregular menstrual cycles are very common and happen for a lot of different reasons. Also, there are different kinds of “regular” periods. Someone could be said to have regular periods even if they happen on shorter or longer cycles than the typical 28-30 days provided that it’s a consistent pattern without significant deviation for that person.

        • medgremlin@midwest.social
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          6
          ·
          10 hours ago

          You do not have a good understanding of menstruation and gynecology if you think that’s always the case. There are so many variations of irregular menstruation that trying to exclude data based on irregularities would be very difficult or get rid of a lot of legitimate irregular data.

    • JovialMicrobial@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      10 hours ago

      Perimenopause can happen in women a lot younger than most people think. I’m in my 30s and dealing with perimenopause symptoms such as hot flashes and irregular periods.

      I’m supposed to be tracking my periods to help my Dr decide if that’s what’s going on, but because if this anti abortion garbage I have to do it manually on paper which I’m terrible about remembering to do(brain fog is another symptom)

      So yeah, irregular periods are common for many reasons(endometriosis for example), but the most common one every ovulating woman eventually faces is perimenopause and menopause.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    23
    ·
    17 hours ago

    I have a reminder app that randomizes reminders for a medical issue I’m dealing with.

    Sounds like I’ll be dealing with two medical issues that app will require now.

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            9
            ·
            11 hours ago

            I am dealing with a mystery illness which has made it so that I cannot eat solid food. I’ve had it for well over a year now. The current theory is that it is ARFID, an eating disorder that has nothing to do with body image like most eating disorders.

            Because I never feel hunger or thirst, I have had reminders on my phone to have nutrition (Ensure and soup mostly) and drink water.

            The doctor that I am working with thinks that randomizing my feeding routines rather than having them at the same time every day, which I was doing, will be therapeutic. I’m also supposed to do a sort of wellness check and log when I feel hungry three times a day. The answer is always either ‘not hungry at all’ or, if I’m really stressed, ‘the concept of hunger is repulsive to me.’ I don’t want to say this isn’t working yet though. It’s only been a few weeks.

    • OtterOPA
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      14
      ·
      18 hours ago

      Oh that’s what I was remembering! Aunt Irma

  • 0laura@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    152
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    edit-2
    1 day ago

    it’s quite silly imo. unlikely to accomplish much or anything at all. teaching people about free software like drip is way more likely to actually help people. it’s free, open source, and completely local.

    edit: they even have a mastodon!

    • zephorah@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      16
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      17 hours ago

      Because moving people off Facebook messenger and over to Signal or WIRE instead has been so very effective.

      You are right. We here know it. But we are a teeny tiny percentage compared to 340million.

      Remember, inertia is a major driving force of humanity.

      • 0laura@lemmy.dbzer0.com
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        9 hours ago

        eh, I’d argue this is very different than signal. for signal to work everyone needs to use it. if you want to use drip you don’t need to make your friends use it too. it’s as simple as installing it from the play store and using it like any other app.

    • OtterOPA
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      12
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      18 hours ago

      Drip seems to be the leading recommendation. I’ve edited the post with it so people seeing the meme also get the recommendation :)

    • Venator@lemmy.nz
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      51
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      edit-2
      23 hours ago

      Not to mention that downloading that flow app will help them boost thier numbers, I doubt they’d care if men are using it as long as they can sell the data…

      • nfh@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        16
        ·
        22 hours ago

        Would a bunch of users entering garbage data, with not all of them being totally obvious, make it harder to sell that data? Possibly.

        • Venator@lemmy.nz
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          6
          ·
          16 hours ago

          It might take a while for thier customers to notice that the data is garbage, or they might develop a way to figure out what data is garbage and still sell other data gathered from the OS/sensors etc from users trying to poison the data.