'If there's anything I love it's causing chaos'
After the Supreme Court controversially overturned Roe V Wade, denying the right to abortion for women in select states across America, some men have begun downloading period tracker apps to make prosecuting abortion cases more difficult.
The overturning of abortion rights across the US was felt and condemned globally by those who deem a right to abortion as a basic human right. Now, some men have taken it upon themselves to take action and are doing so by downloading period tracking apps in the hopes of causing some chaos.
The goal is to flood the apps with "inaccurate" data on periods, miscarriages and terminations so real data cannot be used to prosecute women in the future.
Speaking to Tyla, a digital expert at Pro Privacy said that filling apps with "erratic and nonsensical" data can aid in making prosections more difficult.
"By downloading and using period tracking apps to add static to cycle tracking databases that could be leveraged by law enforcement to find women suspected of having a termination, men can help to support this important cause by potentially making it harder for the authorities to pinpoint women suspected of having an abortion," he explained.
On social media, men have been sharing why they are aiding in the fight, with one person saying: "I'm a cis man who just downloaded a period tracking app because if there's anything I love it's causing chaos."
https://twitter.com/santiagomayer_/status/1541424104636461056
He continued: "To clarify, this will likely do nothing to aid individuals who are subpoenaed themselves.
"The goal of this is to mess up data so that any law enforcement agency that purchases a database would have to waste significant resources in cleaning it up before using it."
However there is a catch; enough men have to be using the apps for the effect to be substantial.
Twitter users have urged people not to download the period tracking app Flo. As explained by one user, "they send your information without your consent, and this can be a danger to anyone who needs an abortion." The user did suggest using the app Stardust, though others have put forward Clue after the company made a statement.
https://twitter.com/JStrongBad/status/1541525336025751552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1541525336025751552%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tyla.com%2Fnews%2Fmen-period-tracker-app-roe-v-wade-20220630
"At Clue, we strongly believe that the very personal decision to end a pregnancy should be made in the context of legal, regulated healthcare, without shame or fear of prosecution," they wrote. "Given the increasing criminalization of abortion in the US, we understand that many of you are worried that your tracked data could be used against you by US prosecutors."
They continued: "It is important to understand that European law protects our community's sensitive health data.
"Our mission has always been to empower people to know their bodies, through all stages of life, and whatever their reproductive decisions may be.
https://twitter.com/vaIidheart/status/1540364312652513281
"This is a very personal journey we support through accurate, evidence-based and non-judgmental information as well as an app that is loved and used around the world.
"As a community built on trust, we know that a fundamental part of earning that trust is being transparent about how we use and protect the sensitive data that people choose to track with us.
"As a European company, Clue is obligated under the world's strictest data privacy law, the European GDPR, to apply special protections to such health data."
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