When your body becomes “Data”: Privacy risks in women’s digital health

In today’s digital ecosystem, a woman's health is no longer confined to clinics or consultation rooms; instead, it is increasingly stored, processed, and monetized in the ever-expanding expanse of cyberspace.

- RITIKA GOSWAMI

Representational Image Image depicting Data Privacy

The central concern is not the collection of data per se but the absence of a sturdy, gender-sensitive framework in order to protect it. Health data may empower healthcare delivery, but in a patriarchal society, shrouded by stigma around reproductive and sexual health, data breaches or misuse can have consequences far beyond ordinary privacy violations-they can put in peril dignity, safety, and even life choices.

THE SILENT SURGE OF FEM-TECH

India is seeing a boom in “fem-tech”-technology catering specifically to women’s health. Many Apps promise to help women manage menstrual cycles, fertility, or pregnancy. However, many of these platforms collect far more than basic health details: location, mood, sexual activity, and device identifiers.

A privacy audit by the Centre for Internet and Society in 2024 showed that a number of popular health apps share user data with third parties, often without explicit, informed consent. Many also lack clear data retention policies or anonymisation safeguards. For millions of Indian women using these apps, their reproductive data could be accessible to advertisers, data brokers, or foreign servers as an unsettling prospect in a country where conversations on sexual health still carry social taboos.

THE LAW LAGS BEHIND