Femtech and the law (or a tale of how Eve fights to overturn Adam and take control over her body)

Abstract

“Femtech” is a fancy word that refers to digital products and services aimed to cope with women’s health concerns and other issues that specifically regard women. Originally, femtech was created with the clear purpose of giving women a voice in the digital market, as they have traditionally been a silent audience assisting tech developments. However, along the line femtech became exactly the opposite: a mechanism for law enforcement authorities to build legal cases against women and for other public entities and private invade women’s privacy. More radical criticism goes as far as arguing that femtech is a tool of oppression. This paper will analyse the potential legal/social hazards of femtech, its legal framework within EU law and the possible remedies to make femtech come back to its roots as a mechanism of women empowerment.