Terms of Service and Privacy Policy Updates

As of September 30, 2024, our updated Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, Legal Bases, and Cookie Policy will take effect. We continually strive to give you clear information about – and control over – what you share on Strava and how you can use the platform. Below is a summary of changes as well as FAQs on the update.

What's in this set of updates?

Here are some of the highlights and what you can expect:

• • Global terms. We provide more detail on how our terms apply to users in different countries. 
  • Acceptable Use. To promote safe and inclusive engagement in our community, we make it clearer and easier to understand what's ok (and not) to post on Strava.
  • Al features. Like so many of you, we're excited about AI, and we're identifying ways it can enhance your product experience. We explain how we use data in our AI features. 
  • Personalization. We provide transparency about our efforts to personalize your experience.

When does the update take effect?

The updated policies will become effective on September 30, 2024. After that date, users will be required to accept the updated policies before continuing to use the Services.

Where can I learn more about the use of data to personalize the user experience?

We may personalize your experience by suggesting segments, routes, challenges, or clubs on Strava that may interest you, users that you may want to follow, or new features that you may want to try. We use information such as your sport type, engagement with content type, basic demographic information, and location information where relevant to the recommendation, as well as your network. See our Terms of Service for more details.

We also use cookies and other tracking technologies, including SDKs and other mobile analytics, to inform targeted advertising and serve relevant ads. Learn more and manage your preferences by visiting our Cookie Policy.

What happened to the information about data protection rights that was on your "Your Rights and Our Legal Bases" page?

We moved it to our Privacy Policy and added more details about your rights and how they apply under certain applicable laws. We streamlined the "Our Legal Bases" page to focus on the legal bases we rely on to process your personal information.

How does Strava use data in its AI features?

We use machine learning or artificial intelligence, including large language models (LLMs), to detect anomalies on leaderboards, generate route recommendations, and provide personalized training guidance, such as in our Athlete Intelligence feature. Where possible, we use aggregated, de-identified information for AI features. Depending on your privacy controls and sharing permissions, we may use personal information such as health and location for AI features that provide training analysis and recommendations. 

How can I opt out of the use of my personal data for AI features?

The Athlete Intelligence feature, which provides training analysis and recommendations, is currently only available as a Beta feature. Athlete Intelligence insights and summaries are only visible to the owner of the Strava account and are not shared more widely. If you have chosen to join the Beta, you can withdraw at any time. Learn more here: Athlete Intelligence on Strava.

Route recommendations will suggest routes to you based on your current location. If you do not wish to contribute to route recommendations, you can disable the Aggregated Data Usage privacy control or make your activities visible to “Followers” or “Only You.”

Does Strava use my location when I'm not using the app?

Strava does not track your device location while you are not using the app. For most of our core features (like GPS activity tracking, routes, and segment leaderboards) to function, you must grant us permissions in your device's privacy controls to track your device location while you use the Services. Some devices may allow you to give us permission to track your device location even when you are not using the app. However, if your device were to send us your location information when you're not using the app, Strava would not use it. If you would like to stop the device location tracking, you may do so at any time by adjusting your device settings.

How do Strava's terms apply to users in different countries? 

We encourage you to read the updates to both our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy for more details, but essentially, if you are in the European Economic Area, Strava's services are provided to you by Strava Ireland Limited. Otherwise, Strava's Services are provided to you by Strava, Inc. 

Why are you requiring me to accept the policies before I can keep using Strava?

Because these updates impact your legal rights and are binding on you if you continue to use the Services after September 30, 2024, we wanted to make this clear while making it easy for you to review and accept the changes.

What if I do not agree with these changes?

If you do not agree to our Terms of Service or Privacy Policy, you should discontinue using Strava and delete your account. Deleting an account is immediate and permanent so if you'd like to export your data, you must do so before deletion. Instructions on how to do so can be found here.

Why did I get an email about terms updates? 

All members of Strava will receive emails when we make important updates to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy because they impact your legal rights. These emails are considered transactional and cannot be opted out of.

We have not adjusted any of your current email preferences for communications like the email newsletter, Strava research inquiries, etc. If you'd like to review your email preferences, please visit your Email Notifications page in your settings.

Can I still view the prior versions?

Yes. The most recent previous versions are linked to the bottom of each updated policy. You can also find the previous version of the Terms of Service here and the Privacy Policy here, along with some FAQs about those updates below.

FAQs from 2023 updates

Why do you offer greater privacy protections only to minors instead of everybody?

One of Strava's core beliefs is that people motivate people and that participating with the broader community helps unlock exploration, inspiration, and motivation. For users who want this experience, they can allow the public to see their detailed profile and specifics about their activities. At the same time, some users may want to keep some or all elements of their activities private in a number of ways.

Recognizing that minors are potentially vulnerable and require special attention and protection when an individual under the age of 18 joins Strava, we enable greater privacy protections by default to ensure that their best interests are represented. 

No matter your intended experience, we provide everyone access to privacy controls, along with resources to understand what those controls mean, that can be used to customize your experience. Please visit our privacy center and take the time to ensure your selections in Strava represent your intended experience. If you have any questions, please contact our Support team.

What do you mean you're not selling my personal information for "monetary value"?

To be clear, we have never sold your personal information, and we still don't — at least not in the traditional sense — that is, for money. However, various U.S. state laws, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), define a "sale" broad enough to potentially include non-monetary transactions, such as using third-party cookies to serve targeted advertising. Because Strava uses third-party cookies for analytics and to serve targeted advertising — as disclosed in our Cookie Policy and subject to a user opting in to receiving non-essential cookies — we updated our Privacy Policy as these laws were coming into effect to provide more clarity to users and to better reflect the legal landscape.

Can you tell me more about your targeted advertising?

As noted in our Privacy Policy, we may use your personal information to send you targeted advertising for Strava, if you accept non-essential cookies using our cookie banner. So, for example, if you opted into non-essential cookies using our cookie banner, you may see ads for Strava on other websites or social media platforms.  

If you'd like to review your cookie preferences, you can do so here. You may also opt out of having your personal information shared for targeted advertising by clicking the "Do Not Share My Personal Information" link in the footer of a Strava website or in the app by clicking on the "Personal Information Sharing" link in your privacy controls and following the instructions.

Can you tell me more about community-driven features like Heatmaps, Points of Interest, and Metro?

When users contribute their aggregated, de-identified data for community-driven features, they help enhance a one-of-a-kind data set that helps urban planners develop better infrastructure for people on foot and bikes, and makes it easy to plan routes with the knowledge of the community.  

These aggregate data sets do not include any address hidden using Map Visibility controls, activities set to 'only you' visibility, or any data from users who have opted out of contributing. Heatmap and Metro never display users' names, home addresses, or any other personal information.