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by Haul4ss 2530 days ago
> But the problem is those workout files are actually your data.

I'm a long-time fan of DC Rainmaker, but here he is just wrong. Once you put that data into Strava, it's not yours anymore.

This is the fundamental conflict with all of these services: your data doesn't belong to you, it belongs to them.

You can argue all day that it shouldn't be that way, but Strava pays to host the data, to store it in perpetuity, to (theoretically) keep it secure, and to enable API integrations that cost bandwidth. And you don't pay for it. Not with cash money anyway. You pay by surrendering your right to use your data as you see fit.

Edit for my downvoters: I agree that this state of affairs is messed up. I'm just noting the reality of how these services operate.

6 comments

You’re forgetting that most of Strava data comes from Garmin or similar devices.

Strava can’t pretend to be a hub and then claim they own the data. Hoping Garmin, Wahoo and others who actually produce this data clamp down on Strava too.

And Garmin is welcome to create an API to host your data and integrate with other services. Uploaded Garmin data isn't originated by Strava, but since they're hosting it they are setting the terms.

I am a former Strava user, emphasis on former. If they enforce terms of service that are unfriendly to their users, those users are free to leave. The lock-in is just not that strong.

Strava presents a derivation of data provided by Garmin. They don't just use it raw. It is snapped to roads and the elevation data is cleaned up and so forth.
In Europe, the law disagrees with you.
If I take a photo and upload it to Flickr, is it theirs?
I would argue that as an entity when communicating with other entities they may be able to refer to the data they store as "their data", but the data itself is still yours.

It's kinda the whole point of GDPR and stuff...

> your data doesn't belong to you, it belongs to them

Not according to the GDPR

the user data might not belong to them (GDPR etc), but I agree the certainly don't have to serve it to any other 3rd party business if they don't want to.