Strava: Understanding and Managing Your Privacy Settings

Can anyone see you on Strava?

Yes, by default, many aspects of your activities and profile on Strava are visible to a wide audience. However, Strava provides a comprehensive suite of privacy settings that allow users to control precisely who sees their data, from individual activities to overall profile information.

Understanding Strava's Default Privacy Settings

When you first join Strava, the platform is largely designed for social sharing and community engagement. This means that, out of the box, a significant amount of your uploaded data is publicly accessible.

• Public by Default: Your activities, including your routes, elapsed time, moving time, distance, elevation gain, and segment efforts, are typically set to "Everyone" visibility. This means anyone, even non-Strava users, can potentially view your activity details if they find your profile or a link to your activity.
• Profile Visibility: Your basic profile information, such as your profile picture, location (if set), follower/following counts, and recent activities, is also generally visible.
• Leaderboard Inclusion: Your efforts on segments automatically place you on public leaderboards, visible to anyone who views that segment.
• Kudos and Comments: Anyone can give you kudos or leave comments on your public activities.

This default setting is designed to foster the social and competitive aspects of the platform, but it necessitates an active understanding of privacy controls for those who prefer more discretion.

Key Privacy Controls and How to Use Them

Strava offers granular control over your data. Understanding and utilizing these settings is crucial for managing your digital footprint.

• Profile Visibility:
  • Everyone: Your profile and activities are visible to anyone.
  • Followers: Only approved followers can see your profile details and activities. This is a fundamental step for increased privacy.
• Activity Visibility:
  • Everyone: Visible to all Strava users and potentially non-users via direct links.
  • Followers: Only visible to your approved followers.
  • Only You: The activity is completely private and visible only to you. This is useful for commute activities, sensitive routes, or test sessions.
• Map Visibility (Privacy Zones):
  • This feature allows you to hide the start and end points of your activities on the map, typically within a radius of your home or work address. You can set multiple privacy zones.
  • Activities starting or ending within these zones will have the specified portion of the map blurred or truncated for others. This is critical for preventing others from pinpointing your exact location.
• Hide from Leaderboards:
  • You can choose to hide your activities from all public segment leaderboards. This allows you to still use segments for personal tracking without your efforts being publicly ranked.
• Group Activities:
  • When you record an activity with others who are also recording on Strava, the platform may automatically link your activities. If one person's activity is public, others linked to it might also become more visible. You can control whether your activities are visible to those you've recorded with.
• Flyby:
  • Flyby is a feature that allows you to see other athletes who were near your activity at the same time, and vice versa. It creates an interactive map showing who you "passed" or "were passed by." This feature is opt-out and can be disabled in your privacy settings.
• Beacon:
  • Beacon allows selected safety contacts to view your real-time location during an activity. While a safety feature, it's important to be aware that you are sharing your live location with specific individuals.
• Health Metrics:
  • Data like heart rate, power, and cadence are often recorded. You can choose to hide these metrics from public view, even if the activity itself remains public.

The Importance of Regular Privacy Audits

Privacy settings on any platform, including Strava, are not "set it and forget it."

• Platform Updates: Strava frequently updates its features and privacy options. A new feature might have default settings that you're not aware of.
• User Error: It's easy to accidentally make an activity public when you intended it to be private, especially when uploading manually or syncing from other devices.
• Connected Apps: Review which third-party applications have access to your Strava data. Revoke access for any apps you no longer use or trust.

Periodically review your privacy settings (at least quarterly) to ensure they align with your current preferences.

Best Practices for Maintaining Privacy on Strava

Beyond understanding the settings, adopting certain habits can further safeguard your information.

• Be Mindful of What You Share: Consider whether the information you're uploading is necessary for your training goals or if it reveals too much personal detail.
• Understand the "Follower" Concept: If your profile is set to "Followers," carefully vet who you approve as a follower. An approved follower has access to more of your data.
• Utilize Privacy Zones Effectively: Ensure your home, work, or other sensitive locations are accurately set up as privacy zones.
• Consider Manual Uploads for Sensitive Activities: For activities where location or specific details are highly sensitive, consider exporting the data and uploading it manually, allowing you to control all settings before it goes live.
• Educate Yourself on New Features: When Strava rolls out new features, take a moment to understand their privacy implications before adopting them.

Balancing Community and Confidentiality

Strava thrives on its community aspect, allowing users to connect, motivate, and even compete with others. This social engagement is often a key motivator for athletes. However, this comes with a trade-off regarding privacy.

• Benefits of Sharing: Sharing activities can foster accountability, provide motivation through kudos and comments, allow for friendly competition on segments, and facilitate group training.
• Risks of Over-Sharing: Uncontrolled sharing can inadvertently reveal your routines, home address, work location, or other sensitive personal information, potentially leading to safety concerns or unwanted attention.

The goal is to find a balance that allows you to enjoy the benefits of the Strava community without compromising your personal safety or comfort.

Conclusion: Taking Control of Your Digital Footprint

While Strava's default settings lean towards public visibility, the platform provides robust tools to manage who sees your activities and personal information. By actively engaging with your privacy settings, understanding the implications of each feature, and regularly reviewing your preferences, you can tailor your Strava experience to perfectly align with your comfort level and privacy needs. Your data, your control.