The popular sports app Strava does not protect your privicay data adequately enough. That was revealed by researchers of Leuven University (KU Leuven) and the technological science hub Imec. Even when your starting point is hidden on the app, your home can still be tracked relatively easily.
If you often go rambling, walking, jogging, running or cycling, you may also use Strava to share your data with friends and earn " kudos" as they give you thumbs up. Or you may use it to keep track of your data, or to engage in competition with others. Last May, Strava boasted over 100 million users in 195 countries.
Strava now hides the first 200 metres of your course automatically as people often start from home. You have the option to extend this perimeter to 400 metres or more. "But this gives a false feeling of security", researcher Karel Dhondt (KU Leuven) told VRT NWS. "We analysed 1.4 million activities on Strava and were able to discover the hidden starting point in 85 percent of the cases. We are talking about public profiles, but most sports enthusiasts like to share their data, to get support or for the competition."
This means that people with bad intentions can also track your home address. Thieves may have plans to steal your (expensive) bicycle, or may know when you are abroad, when you post activities during a foreign trip. Bicycle thefts have been seen in the past. Strava will now meet the Belgian researchers to see how they can better protects the people's data.