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How is my data protected?
Over the past 12 months, there has been growing concern over how our most sensitive information is being handled. Here at Natural Cycles, we’ve always been dedicated to protecting you and your data, but we’ve reviewed and strengthened this commitment over the past year. In this post, we’re going to walk you through our security protocols so you know exactly how your sensitive data is processed, and how you are protected.
As a regulated medical device and certified birth control method, we have to follow a strict set of standards when it comes to handling our users’ data. We are regularly audited to ensure we follow the strict protocol that’s required.
Natural Cycles is a Swedish company, which means we also need to be GDPR compliant under European law - we’ll unpack exactly what that means later.
While these existing measures go a long way in protecting our users, given the real concern of women worldwide about the security of their sensitive data, we decided to go the extra mile, and so we created NC° Secure.
What is NC° Secure?
This is our comprehensive privacy program, our way of promising to you that your data is always protected. NC° Secure is not one security step but is a set of approaches, each one put in place to take into account all types of fertility journeys.
NC° Secure includes:
Advanced data protection: Our Data Protection Officer and Data Protection Team employ top security protocols, including encryption and pseudonymization. We continue to evaluate new risks and adapt our security measures to protect your data accordingly.
Commitment to you and your data: We pledge that we will NEVER sell your data. That’s because we don’t own the data - you do. We’ll always act in your best interest and give you control over how it's used.
Identity protection: In some circumstances, an extra level of security may be offered to you in order to protect your identity. Go Anonymous lets you use the Natural Cycles app without sharing personal, identifiable information. You can switch to this in-app feature anytime. Just know that if you Go Anonymous, it may limit your NC° app experience, so consider doing so only if your data may be at a higher risk. Visit our NC° Secure web page to learn more.
What is GDPR?
GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation. This piece of legislation came into effect in 2018 and is the toughest privacy and security law in the world. Those who violate its security and privacy standards can face fines up to tens of millions of dollars.
As a Swedish company, we are fully compliant with GDPR. It doesn’t matter whether or not you live in Europe, our users in the United States and elsewhere get this extra level of protection too.
Don’t just take our word for it
We’re proud of the work we’ve put into protecting our users' data, but we’re not the only ones talking about our data protection. Our security standards have been independently reviewed by Mozilla in their Independent Buyer’s Guide, where we earned a commendable mention.
As part of our certification as a contraceptive app, we also have to partake in yearly audits where an independent auditor assesses many parts of our app, including our data privacy protocols. We have a whole team of experts in place who are responsible for ensuring Natural Cycles maintains this level of data protection every day.
How is my data used for research?
At Natural Cycles we’re passionate about forwarding the field of female health, and we’re so grateful to our users who help us do this. We often look at what’s called ‘aggregate data’ in our analysis. This refers to a very large amount of data, meaning we don't single out individual users when doing this type of analysis but rather look at hundreds or thousands of cycles together.
We want you to know that your involvement in our studies is always optional. We ask every user when they join Natural Cycles if they want to take part in this type of research. If you want to opt in (or out) of this at any time, you can do so by visiting ‘settings’ in the app and choosing ‘consent and permissions’.
Curious to learn more about the types of studies we’ve been working on? Head over to our Research Library to learn more.
The only certified birth control
Natural Cycles is FDA Cleared and CE marked birth control, it’s not the same as a fertility app or period tracker. Keep in mind that not all apps have the same level of security as us, and some may share or sell your data as part of their business model. One of the reasons we charge a subscription fee is to fund the development of Natural Cycles so we can continue to offer a hormone-free alternative while keeping your data secure. No matter what the future holds, keeping you safe will always be our first priority.
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