FTC Fines Fertility App Developer, Orders Protection of Consumer Data

Unauthorized sharing of users’ health data with several third parties — including Google — has gotten fertility app developer Easy Healthcare a $100,000 fine and a federal court order to protect consumer data.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois has ordered the Illinois-based company to change its privacy practices to protect users of its Promom fertility app which tracks menstrual periods and ovulation.

The order requires Easy Healthcare to hire an independent third-party to assess its compliance with the privacy program for 20 years. The company may still share health information in some circumstances, but only by obtaining users’ consent.

Easy Healthcare did not admit to any wrongdoing in the matter. “We do not, and will not, ever sell any information about users’ health to third parties, nor do we share it for advertising purposes,” the company said.

Read the court order here.

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