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| Feature | Lova | Cloud-based design (general model) |
|---|---|---|
| Where tracking entries are stored | In an encrypted database on your device | On the provider's servers |
| What a provider holds that could be requested through legal process or exposed in a breach | Lova is designed not to receive your tracking entries, so it has none to hand over or lose. It does process some other data, such as Learn Library searches, subscription receipts, request logs and optional crash reports (see the Privacy Policy) | Whatever data that provider holds, depending on its design and safeguards |
| Deleting your tracking entries | Delete them in the app. Copies in device or cloud backups you enabled, or in files you exported or shared, are not removed by this | Governed by the provider's own deletion process |
Two ways to build a period tracker
A cloud-based app stores your entries on the provider's servers, usually alongside a copy on your phone. An on-device app, like Lova, is designed to keep your cycle and symptom entries in an encrypted database on your phone instead. Neither design is wrong. They make different trade-offs between convenience features and how much of your data a company holds.
What the FTC has said about health-app data sharing
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has taken action against health apps over how they handled sensitive data. Two examples from its own releases, with what the FTC alleged and required:
- Flo Health (June 2021). The FTC finalized an order after alleging that, despite promising to keep users' health data private, the company shared sensitive health data with marketing and analytics firms, including Facebook and Google. The order requires affirmative user consent before sharing health information and an independent review of the company's privacy practices.
- Easy Healthcare, maker of the Premom app (2023). In May 2023 the FTC announced proposed terms after alleging that the company shared sensitive personal information with third parties and did not notify consumers of those disclosures as the Health Breach Notification Rule requires. A stipulated order was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on June 22, 2023. According to the FTC, it includes a $100,000 civil penalty and a ban on sharing user health data with third parties for advertising.
These summarize what the FTC alleged, as stated in its press releases of June 2021 and May 2023. They are not findings about how any app works today and may not reflect later developments.
Why architecture matters
Privacy policies can change, companies can be acquired, and mistakes happen. The more of your tracking data a company holds, the more there is to share by mistake, lose in a breach, or hand over when legally compelled. Lova is designed so that your cycle and symptom entries stay on your device and are not received by us. We do process a small amount of other data, described in the Privacy Policy.
Make your choice
We believe you should be able to track your health with an app that is private by design. But every app has trade-offs, so read each privacy policy and decide what fits you.
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