London, January 24, 2023 – Flo, the most popular women’s health app globally, appointed Sue Khan as its new Vice President of Privacy and Data Protection Officer and launched its new Privacy & Security Advisory Board. With these appointments, Flo continues to showcase its commitment to deploying the most rigorous privacy and security standards. The company remains focused on protecting its 50M monthly active users’ data at the highest level possible.
In 2022, Flo also became the first female health app to receive the ISO 27001 certification, the internationally recognized standard for information security. Flo also released Anonymous Mode (AM), which 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 AM account. Flo is the first female health app to take this level of precaution in terms of privacy and security and create a feature that further protects sensitive reproductive health information in a post-Roe America.
Additionally, Flo surveyed 1.9K women aged 18-45 in the United States to determine their sentiment and concerns around data privacy and security following the reversal of Roe v. Wade and the events of 2022:
- Over 80% say they are concerned or somewhat concerned about their personal and health data.
- Among women who are concerned or somewhat concerned about their data privacy, the majority (60%) reported not taking any actions post Roe-America.
- Only 14% of women feel that they can effectively protect their data.
Khan joins Flo after spending four years at the digital-first health provider, Babylon Health where she built and led the global privacy function to ensure compliance with legal requirements in the US, UK, and APAC region. She has 17 years of experience as a lawyer, specializing in privacy and data protection, having also led the privacy initiatives for the mobile network O2, and the global entertainment company, Hasbro.
“I am thrilled to join Flo Health as the company has already set such a high standard of privacy and security excellence with the innovation of Anonymous Mode and the ISO 27001 Certification,” said Sue Khan, Vice President of Privacy at Flo. “According to Flo’s recent survey, only 13% of the US women feel that they can effectively protect their data. One of my goals is to help women feel informed and in control of their health data. My colleagues and I will create a better future for female health by clearly communicating with our users about data privacy rights in simple terms, so they can confidently use Flo without concern. My role is dedicated to protecting our users’ privacy rights and freedoms, and safeguarding their most intimate health data.”
Flo established its new Privacy & Security Advisory Board by inviting five top experts across the legal, data security and information technology fields with the aim of elevating the bar for privacy and security practices for Flo and the broader health app industry. The board members will work in collaboration with Flo’s in-house Privacy and Security team to ensure the company continues to protect its users’ data and privacy rights as well as create a secure platform where users can access credible health insights and track their most personal health information without concern. By introducing the Privacy & Security Advisory Board, Flo also hopes to push the femtech and healthtech industries to innovate, improve and rethink their current approach.
The inaugural members include:
- Anna Zeiter (LL.M), Associate General Counsel & Chief Privacy Officer at eBay
- Emily Hancock, Chief Privacy Officer at Cloudflare
- Craig Lisowski, Head of Data, Information Systems and Trust at NextDoor
- Susanne Schumacher (LL.B., CIPP/E, CIPM), Senior Attorney Governance & Compliance and Data Protection Officer at Catalyst Inc.
- Brenda R. Sharton, Partner & Global Chair, Privacy & Cybersecurity at Dechert LLP
“Health apps are in the midst of a privacy and security reckoning. For instance, in the US, over 80% of women say they are concerned or somewhat concerned about their personal health data,” said Anna Zeiter, Associate General Counsel & Chief Privacy Officer at eBay. “Flo’s Privacy & Security Advisory Board’s goal is to continue to set industry leading standards in how we build technology to protect users while still delivering incredible value to them. We are going to build off the momentum of Flo’s Anonymous Mode by focusing on transparency, clarity and the power of choice in Flo’s products and in our conversations around data privacy and security. We’ll work to ensure all efforts benefit the end user and are easy to understand and use.”
As a company, Flo welcomes external expertise to strengthen its practices and products. The company now works with a Privacy & Security Advisory Board as well as a Medical Advisory Board to support its mission of building a better future for female health.
ABOUT FLO:
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 50 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.