FemTech or Female Technology, is an expanding field dedicated to providing
affordable and accessible healthcare solutions for women, prominently through
Female Health Applications that monitor health and reproductive data. With the
leading app exceeding 1 billion downloads, these applications are gaining
widespread popularity. However, amidst contemporary challenges to women's
reproductive rights and privacy, there is a noticeable lack of comprehensive
studies on the security and privacy aspects of these applications. This
exploratory study delves into the privacy risks associated with seven popular
applications. Our initial quantitative static analysis reveals varied and
potentially risky permissions and numerous third-party trackers. Additionally,
a preliminary examination of privacy policies indicates non-compliance with
fundamental data privacy principles. These early findings highlight a critical
gap in establishing robust privacy and security safeguards for FemTech apps,
especially significant in a climate where women's reproductive rights face
escalating threats.Comment: 9 pages, 3 table