A Free Period-Tracking App That Doesn’t Sell Your Data

When Marie Kochsiek started work on an open source app for tracking menstrual cycles four years ago, some people questioned why the world needed another such program given that dozens were already on the market. But the Berlin software developer saw that most had a common flaw: They used private information for targeted ads, so a user who skipped a period might suddenly get a pitch for diapers, strollers, or baby food. While that argument resonated among the privacy-minded, the not-for-profit app—called Drip—barely got any traction against commercial rivals such as Flo, Ovia, and Glow, all of which ...