FemTech surveillance: Gendered digital harms and regulatory approaches

The project was awarded a Leverhulme Research Project Grant funding and commenced on September 2022 for 24 months. Dr Maria Tazanou is the PI and Professor Tsachi Keren-Paz and Dr Marco Ortolani, Keele Computing and Mathematics School are the Co-Is. FemTech refers to technological apps and devices tracking women’s reproductive data while aiming to advance their health and wellbeing. 

The project explores regulatory and remedial responses to FemTech surveillance which reflect: (1) the nature of the harm as gendered; (2) harms potentially undermining bodily integrity, in case of FemTech wearables; and (3) surveillance as performed by private, profit-seeking actors.