Flo 'Anonymous Mode' Now Live, Offering Significant Advancement in the Privacy and Security of Reproductive Health Data

Feature ensures that no single party processing user data in Anonymous Mode account has complete information on both who the user is and what they are trying to access

LONDON, Sept. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --  Flo, the #1 leading female health app, today announced the release of its 'Anonymous Mode' feature in an effort to further protect sensitive reproductive health information in a post-Roe America. Anonymous Mode allows any Flo user the option to access the app without name, email address, and technical identifiers from being associated with the health data in their Anonymous Mode account, marking the first female health app to take this level of precaution in terms of privacy and security. Flo has partnered with Cloudflare to integrate an Oblivious HTTP system, App Relay Gateway, which ensures that no single party processing user data for Anonymous Mode accounts has complete information on both who the user is and what they are trying to access.

Flo's mission is to build a better future for female health and provide its 48M active users with evidence-based information including effective contraceptive methods and sexual health. Flo's Anonymous Mode is based on the principle that users should feel empowered to access medically credible information to help them make informed decisions about their health without anxiety or concern. Flo has already made significant efforts to offer the highest standards of privacy and security to all users, including encryption of all data and passcode protection to reduce the risk that unauthorized users access the app on their personal device.

Flo's Anonymous Mode introduces an even deeper layer of privacy for reproductive health data. By using Cloudflare's App Relay, Flo takes user privacy to a deeper level than simply removing the connection between IP addresses and users' health data. The new feature ensures its users privacy on various levels, from logged symptoms on the device through the data transfer over the network to the server side. This groundbreaking approach allows users to continue tracking their health and benefit from the information logged before, but with as much privacy as possible. In effect, the user leaves significantly reduced digital footprints when communicating with Flo. 

"Women's health information shouldn't be a liability," said Cath Everett, VP of Product and Content at Flo. "Every day, our users turn to Flo to gain personal insights about their bodies. Now, more than ever, women deserve to access, track, and gain insight into their personal health information without fearing government prosecution. We hope this milestone will set an example for the industry and inspire companies to raise the bar when it comes to privacy and security principles."

Regardless of whether a user chooses to set up an Anonymous Mode account, all user data remains subject to Flo's state of the art privacy and security protections. Flo does not sell identifiable user health data to any other company, but wanted to take this additional step to reassure users who are living in states affected by an abortion ban. It is important to note that once Anonymous 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 personalization benefits. This is why Flo is offering Anonymous Mode as an option for concerned users instead of activating it by default.

The new Anonymous Mode is localized into 20 languages and can be accessed via the app's settings in iOS (now available) and Android (to be released in October 2022). Users are able to enjoy all Flo's health features, with limited exceptions.

"Recent legislation around women's health has made Internet privacy a renewed concern with real-world consequences for many people," said Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO, Cloudflare. "Cloudflare's App Relay system, based on a privacy-preserving standard championed by Cloudflare, will help Flo's Anonymous Mode set a new expectation for how companies can protect their users' health data."

This update comes on the heels of Flo recently becoming the first period and ovulation tracker to receive the ISO 27001 certification, the internationally recognized standard for information security. Established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the certification affirms that Flo's policies, processes, and procedures meet the world's most rigorous standards and attests that Flo protects users' data at the highest standard possible.

Flo is the most popular women's health app globally; it is #1 OB-GYN-recommended app for period and cycle tracking based on a survey among US OB-GYNs. Over 240 million people have downloaded Flo, and 48 million people use it on a monthly basis. With over 100+ medical experts, Flo supports women during their entire reproductive lives and provides curated cycle and ovulation tracking, personalized health insights, expert tips, and a fully closed community for women to share their questions and concerns. Flo prioritizes safety and keeps a sharp focus on being the most trusted digital source for women's health information. Flo health app is available in more than 20 languages on iOS and Android. For more information, please visit https://flo.health.

Cloudflare, Inc. (www.cloudflare.com / @cloudflare) is on a mission to help build a better Internet. Cloudflare's suite of products protects and accelerates any Internet application online without adding hardware, installing software, or changing a line of code. Internet properties powered by Cloudflare have all web traffic routed through its intelligent global network, which gets smarter with every request. As a result, they see significant improvement in performance and a decrease in spam and other attacks. Cloudflare was named to Entrepreneur Magazine's Top Company Cultures 2018 list and ranked among the World's Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company in 2019. Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, Cloudflare has offices in Austin, TX, Champaign, IL, New York, NY, San Jose, CA, Seattle, WA, Washington, D.C., Toronto, Dubai, Lisbon, London, Munich, Paris, Beijing, Singapore, Sydney, and Tokyo.

CONTACT:
Denae Thibault
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SOURCE Flo Health Inc.