Health Apps send your Biometric data straight to Facebook

Sharing is Caring

When you use an app to monitor your heartrate, track your period, or store any other private medical data, Facebook may be listening in.

That's the result of a new Wall Street Journal investigation that revealed how Facebook collects data from 11 popular health data apps like Flo and Breethe — whether or not users signed into Facebook through the apps or even have a Facebook account at all.

Closed Doors

When someone adds information to the apps, they send what's called an “App Event” to Facebook in the form of a transmission that describes the device, location, and personal data ranging from “body weight, blood pressure, menstrual cycles or pregnancy status,” according to the WSJ. Usually, according to the investigation, Facebook is able to match that data with that person's Facebook account.

The information can be added to Facebook's profile of information on a given user that allows it to target people with specific advertisements.