"Fitness App Loophole Allows Access to Home Addresses"

Despite efforts to anonymize user data, the fitness app Strava allows anyone to find personal information, such as the home addresses of some users. The finding, which is detailed in a recent study from North Carolina State University, raises serious privacy concerns. This could be problematic for users concerned about stalkers or have other reasons for wanting to keep their location information private. Strava is a mobile fitness-tracking app that enables users to track their exercise activities and includes features that facilitate user interaction. These capabilities can be used to organize clubs based on common interests, such as hiking or cycling. For example, the app contains a "heatmap" function that aggregates user data. Although all user data is anonymized, the heatmap feature allows users to see how many other Strava users hike, run, or ride bicycles in a particular area. This article continues to discuss key findings from the study "Heat Marks the Spot: De-Anonymizing Users' Geographical Data on the Strava Heatmap."

North Carolina State University reports "Fitness App Loophole Allows Access to Home Addresses"