Re:Period tracking app has been yapping about your flow to Meta
by cogman10 on Tuesday April 28, 2026 @02:46PM
(#47938738)
> I can also easily imagine it to be illegal and wildly unrealistic behaviour for a prosecutor
It's not [1]. There's no safeguards on information available for purchase like this. The US has very little in the way of digital privacy laws.
> especially data that is seemingly illegally obtained.
That's the thing, it's not illegal to sell private data. It's not illegal for prosecutors and cops to buy private data.
It definitely feels like it should be, so I get why you'd think that. Feels aren't the legal code.
[1] https://www.npr.org/2026/03/25/nx-s1-5752369/ice-surveillanc...
Re:Period tracking app has been yapping about your flow to Meta
by Chris2048 on Tuesday April 28, 2026 @04:43PM
(#47940451)
> it's not illegal to sell private data
In this case, though not covered by HIPAA, it's also not clear there was legal consent to sell this information given it was against their privacy policy.
mainly because I have no idea whether it's realistic to imagine what prosecutors do. I can also easily imagine it to be illegal and wildly unrealistic behaviour for a prosecutor, in my ignorance.
> Warrants related to people getting an abortion?
The question here isn't whether abortion is illegal in some states, but about period tracking data could be used as evidence, or justify an investigation - especially data that is seemingly illegally obtained. AFAIK, illegally obtained evidence is normally not valid grounds for investigation, and might actually weaken the case based on "fruit of the poisonous tree" doctrine.