Unscrupulous breach of women's intimacy is brought to Lisbon District courts
This Sunday, May 7, Mother’s Day was celebrated, right after April 25th: a date that marked a turning point in the respect for women’s rights in Portugal.
It is, therefore, loaded with symbolism that the Ius Omnibus announces at this time of year its latest initiative, which is the filing of a judicial class action with the Judicial Court of the District of Lisbon against the American company Flo Health, Inc, owner of a smartphone application that helps women monitoring their ovulation, period, and pregnancy plans.
The application is called “Flo Ovulation and Period Tracker“.
Despite expressly stating that the data it collected would not be transmitted to third parties, between 30 June 2016 and 23 February 2019, Flo Health deliberately and systematically allowed several third parties to instantly access the most intimate data of their users to target them with personalized advertisements and communications.
Facebook and Google are among the companies that have benefited from this data, depriving the falsely promised privacy and confidentiality of data, as intimate as the course of the menstrual cycle, the desire to get pregnant or sexual activity.
In fact, it was Facebook itself that provided Flo Health with the software tool that ensured instant access to all the data that women registered in the App. Moreover, Facebook’s software tool allowed for users to be continuously track users on the Internet, on their various access devices, and on the various websites or applications they accessed, including even those users who had not an account with Facebook.
It was, according to Ius, an intentional and massified conduct, resting on breaking the promise to users that their information would not be shared with third parties and that it was intended only and only for the operation of the application, which should be to allow the control by users of their ovulation and menstruation calendar.
To all citizens, regardless of gender, creed, race, orientation of thought or personal choices, is owed the strict, thorough, and effective respect of privacy and the exclusion of any form of invasion.
To all citizens, regardless of gender, creed, race, orientation of thought or personal choices, is owed the strict, thorough, and effective respect of privacy and the exclusion of any form of invasion.
Respect for Privacy is also a form of Freedom
Freedom that Flo Health, to the benefit of Facebook, Google and other third parties, has violated with knowledge, intent to deceive and for its own profit.
In the popular action, Ius accuses Flo Health of the violation of fundamental rights of Portuguese consumers, such as the right to privacy and intimacy of private life, the Portuguese Civil Code, the Law of Unfair Commercial Practices and the General Regulation on Data Protection.
In the USA, the company Flo Health that owns the App, after being confronted with an investigation by the US newspaper Washington Post and charged by the Federal Trade Commission, confessed to having sold access to the data and to the tracking of identified non-anonymized women. However, it has not yet disbursed any compensation.
If this claim is successful, Flo Health will be ordered to compensate the consumers represented in the action for the damage caused by these illegal practices.
Be compensated
SUPPORT A HUMANITARIAN CAUSE
Girls in School all month long – the Maria Menina Program
On this same date, regarding the defence of women’s rights, Ius also wants to publicize and promote the support for young girls and adolescents who, because they do not have the economic means to purchase intimate hygiene products, do not go to school during the days of menstruation.
Ius appeals to each and every one of us to help keep these girls and teens at school all month long, all year round!
Through the Maria Menina Sponsorship program, implemented by HELPO, a reputable NGDO established 15 years ago in Portugal, a partner implementing cooperation projects for the development of the Camões Institute, it is possible, with only € 42 per year, per girl, to provide training on hygiene and sexual and reproductive health, and deliver underwear and reusable sanitary pads to girls in northern Mozambique, thereby avoiding school absenteeism of these young women.
To date, Helpo has supported more than 300 girls with this program.
We cannot accept that, for so little, thousands of young people are deprived of access to education, and thereby harmed for life by their simple feminine condition.
By supporting the schooling of young women during menstruation and their hygienic and sexual literacy through HELPO, you can receive the respective donation statement and, in accordance with the law, deduct your contribution from the IRS.