Activity Tracking on Strava – Steps to Protect Your Privacy
What is Strava?
Strava is an app used to track fitness activities such as running, walking, cycling and so much more. The app enables users to track routes via GPS and measures pace, distance etc.
How Does Strava Work?
- Users can follow other users, give ‘kudos’ (similar to 'like' on Facebook) on fitness activities and discuss shared workouts.
- Members can upload photographs from their activities, with over 4 million photos shared per week.
- Strava offers users the option to participate in challenges to motivate you to set new goals.
- Strava uses built-in GPS to track your running routes. Strava is free to download but does come with an optional paid subscription offer that includes additional features to track progress.
- The app can link to devices such as your smartwatch.
Key Risks – What you Need to Know
GPS Location
- A live GPS location could give away the area or exact location of where a user lives or spends time.
- If a user runs the same routes every day, a stranger could learn where you live and where you are at certain times in the day.
- Relaxed privacy settings could result in identifying personal information being public.
- While using the default Strava Privacy Feature your activity (including the map/location data) will be pulled via API onto your GivePenny Fundraising page, this means your running location will be visible to the public and anyone who views your fundraising page
Safety & Privacy Settings
When a user first sets up their account, everything is set to ‘public’ by default. Here are some of the safety & privacy options available on the app:
- Profile page controls – Control who views your profile by selecting ‘Everyone’ or ‘Followers’. Selecting ‘Followers’ will give you more control over who views your information
- You can Report & Block a user on Strava.
- The app has a safety feature called ‘Privacy Zones’ that are designed to hide geolocation data within a 500-metre radius, however, this area could still provide a rough idea of where someone lives.
- A user’s name and other profile information are viewable by other Strava users and the public.
For the most accurate information on how to use Strava Privacy Controls and how to protect your privacy/safety please visit: https://support.strava.com/ or https://support.strava.com/hc/en-us/articles/216919377-Activity-Privacy-Controls
Please be aware GivePenny has no control over the data its users share and submit with 3rd party apps such as Strava, we provide an app integration but ultimately the user is responsible for ensuring they have Privacy Control Settings that meet their privacy and safety needs.