“ This data is really sensitive ” – the making of non-commercial menstruapps as productive resistance within Femtech

Digital menstrual cycle tracking is a booming business and a burgeoning field of study. Although often framed as empowering, researchers have recognized serious problems in menstrual cycle tracking apps, or “menstruapps.” These include the lack of accuracy in predictions, the enforcement of harmful stereotypes, and above all, the ways in which sensitive user data is collected and used for profit-making. However, in recent years, a number of non-commercial apps have become available. In this study, nine makers of non-commercial menstruapps were interviewed. Through analyzing their goals and motivations, making non-commercial menstruapps is shown to function as a form of productive resistance within the female technology or “Femtech” sector. Setting themselves in opposition to commercialized Femtech, the makers aim for solutions that enhance self-understanding through the use of data technologies while ensuring privacy, considering human individuality, and enhancing transparency and inclusion. The article discusses the potential and limits of challenging Femtech from within.