Makers of wearable period and fertility trackers are increasing security to protect women’s reproductive information in the wake of the Roe versus Wade overturn.

Silicon Valley firm Bellabeat, for example, is using AES-256 private key encryption security for mobile apps. And female health app Flo has added an anonymous mode that allows any of its 240 million users to use the service without any personally identifiable information, such as a name, email address and technical identifier being associated with the account.

Bellabeat announced the rollout of a new layer of data security following the US Supreme Court overturning Roe versus Wade.

Like many mobile apps, it had been using full end-to-end encryption of its Bellabeat mobile app for users of all its wearable products, with end-to-end encryption being the common and secure way to protect users’ data. The company determined that to protect users’ women’s health data, it was necessary to take data security a step further without haste.

The AES-256 feature will enable all Bellabeat users to access and decrypt their data using a private key via the Bellabeat smartphone app. Any data stored on the Bellabeat servers will be in an encrypted form only. Thus, no one can access the servers lawfully or unlawfully.

Adding the extra layer of security means data stored on the company’s servers cannot be read without holding an individual user’s private key. The only person that can access the confidential health data and info in its decrypted form will be the Bellabeat user herself.

The private key is a password or a pin code that only the user herself knows or stores on her private device. Without that key, her data are unreadable.

Ideally, implementing the security feature gives full control and ownership of data to Bellabeat’s end users. The company will therefore not be able to benefit from collecting end-user data in any shape or form, including for internal research or product improvements.

Bellabeat executives determined there was not a question in options and that users’ safety at this time was of the utmost importance. The feature is in testing and will be rolled out within all Bellabeat products having women’s reproductive health tracking features such as period and pregnancy data tracking by the end of July.

The decision for the exceptional layer of data security comes in the wake of the US Supreme Court ruling to overturn the landmark case Roe versus Wade, in which the court ruled that the constitution of the USA generally protects a pregnant woman’s liberty to choose to have an abortion. The overturning now gives states a licence to ban abortion.

Thirteen states, mainly within the south and midwest, had trigger bans to be activated upon the Supreme Court decision and will now start taking effect, some immediately upon the ruling being released.

As Bellabeat is a women’s health tracker with a specific focus on menstrual, reproductive and fertility tracking, end-to-end encryption was determined to be of the utmost importance to protect users.

“Our business is helping women to track and understand their cycles and bodies,” said Urska Sršen, co-founder of Bellabeat. “The overturning of Roe versus Wade is a tremendous blow to women’s rights. It is an incredibly sad and terrifying day for women’s health and women’s rights. Many women are now in fear of exactly what to share and where to share it. This ruling will change how health data and records are maintained offline with obgyns and primary care physicians, what women feel safe to disclose, and will grossly change how women will choose to share their reproductive information online. We will continue to be a safe and progressive space for women to track their cycles, fertility and all wellness concerns. Incorporating the private key encryption feature means an extra layer of security designed to ensure our users’ safety. This also means our end users can be sure that we are unable to leak or sell their data and that a breach or break within Bellabeat’s servers will never mean a threat to their personal safety.”

In a recent Wall Street Journal article, legal experts are quoted as saying that in a scenario where Roe is overturned, digital breadcrumbs – including the kind that come from period trackers – could be used against women in states where laws criminalise aiding in or undergoing abortion.

“It is a horrific idea that your health data and digital breadcrumbs could be used against you to criminalise women making life-changing reproductive choices,” said Sandro Mur, co-founder of Bellabeat. “It’s not a sentiment reflected anywhere in healthcare or health rights for the male body. We stand with women everywhere and have taken the necessary steps end-to-end. We also do not sell or share our customer info. The implementation of the private key encryption ensures that we will never be placed in a position, as a company, where we could be forced to submit users’ private health data in its readable form.”

Bellabeat creates wellness technology whose products include wearables specifically made for women that track health, wellness and reproductive info via the Bellabeat Ivy, Leaf Urban and Leaf Chakra. Bellabeat is aimed exclusively at women and recently started the process of submitting an official application to the FDA for its product, the Bellabeat Ivy. Obtaining a licence from the FDA would allow doctors and clinicians to use the Ivy wearable technology officially to monitor the menstrual cycle in the treatment of women.

Flo’s free anonymous mode can be accessed via the iOS and Android apps settings and lets users enjoy all Flo’s health features, with limited exceptions. Anonymous mode will be available to all users in the coming weeks.

While the anonymous mode feature had already been underway, the development has been accelerated in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling. Some users have expressed concern about how third parties might be able to access user health data from digital services. Flo’s anonymous mode is based on the principle that users should feel empowered to access their Flo app without offering personally identifiable information.

Flo already uses security best practices, including encryption of all data. Beyond this, it encourages all users – including those using anonymous mode – to leverage Flo’s’ passcode feature to prevent unauthorised users from accessing the app on their personal device.

Anonymous mode protects user data even further. This feature deidentifies data on a deeper level by removing personal email, name and technical identifiers. In the event that Flo receives an official request to identify a user by name or email, anonymous mode will prevent Flo from being able to connect data to an individual, meaning it would not be able to satisfy the request.

Flo stressed it does not share or sell any health data with any other company, but wanted to take this additional step to reassure users who are living in states affected by an abortion ban. Once this mode is activated, users will no longer be able to recover data when the device is lost, changed or stolen and there may be limitations to using the app’s full personalisation benefits. This is why Flo is offering anonymous mode as an option instead of activating it by default.

“Flo will always stand up for the health of women, and this includes providing our users with full control over their data,” said Susanne Schumacher, Flo’s data protection officer. “Flo will never share or sell user data, and only collects data when we have a legal basis to do so and when our users have given their informed consent. Any data we do collect are fully encrypted, and this will never change.”

• According to data collected by the Atlas VPN team, apps dedicated to women’s health, such as pregnancy or period trackers, heavily collect sensitive data and share them with third parties. After the Supreme Court ruling, information gathered from these apps could be used as evidence for getting an abortion.