These days, everybody seems to be constantly connected to their mobile devices. Our movements tracked, each photo we take GPS logged, hell the Strava app even knows when I get to work in the morning! I’m not sure how as I have Location Services turned off unless the app is open, but oh it knows., it knows…

Yes I was listening to Old Town Road. Sorry not sorry…

The current Escape Plan Challenge on Strava is a prime example of data mining. To complete this challenge, you need to upload an activity at least five days per week for your weeks. Any activity counts – public or private – just as long as you upload something five days per week for a month!

Strava is watching you, so pedal harder you slacker! ;-)

Is it simply Strava encouraging you to be more active? Are they trying to snag a larger share of the activity tracking market? Are they trying to collect even more of your personal data for some other purpose? My guess is it’s probably a combination of all three. They are a business with a bottom line after all.

Strava knows where you’ve been and how you got there.

The big question is – What are they planning on doing with all this data? Also, are their data handling and storage protocols safe and secure? Maybe it’s harmless. Maybe it’s not. Either way, I’d bet on many, many more activities being uploaded to Strava this month during the challenge. That’s even more of people’s daily movements, whereabouts, regular routine, etc.

Strava knows you ate that cake! (and what cafe you got it from)

Whether this worries you or not, it’s a good reminder to ensure you have your Strava privacy settings in order. Not so much to protect yourself from Strava, but to protect your privacy from other users. One of the most important settings is the Privacy Zone feature surrounding your house and office. If you haven’t at least got this set up, do it now!