Let's start with the uncomfortable part: the most sensitive app on your phone might be a period tracker, an HRT reminder, or a voice training tool. And the companies behind most of them are in the business of collecting data first and protecting it when convenient.
Now layer politics on top. In more places than I'd like to count right now, simply being trans — let alone seeking care — is being treated as suspicious. Medication names, dose histories, appointment schedules: that's not just personal data, that's evidence in jurisdictions that want evidence. Data brokers would happily buy it from whatever app you trusted with it.
The local-first answer
Every tool on TECH GIRL follows three hard rules:
- Zero network requests with your data. There is no backend. There is no database to breach because there is no database.
- Storage lives on your device. The HRT tracker uses your browser's
localStorage. Clearing your browser data clears the records — which is a feature, not a bug. - Export beats lock-in. One click exports everything as JSON you control. If you leave, your history leaves with you.
Don't trust me — verify me
This is my favorite part, because it's the difference between a promise and a design:
- Open any tool here.
- Hit F12 → Network tab.
- Type your most private information into every field.
- Watch what leaves your machine: nothing.
The site is static files — HTML, CSS, JavaScript. You can download the whole thing, go offline, and every tool keeps working. A site with no server can't leak.
The trade-off, honestly stated
Local-first means no cloud sync between devices. That's real, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. My position: until sync can be built with end-to-end encryption and zero-knowledge storage, no sync is safer than fake sync. Copy your JSON export onto a USB drive like it's 2005. It'll be fine.
Trust through transparency, not terms of service.
Stay safe out there. Your transition belongs to you — including its paperwork. <3