Used Strava Flyby to steal from my neighbor

The Story:

Let me set the scene for you.. My family and I live in this cushy neighborhood were the grass is always green and manicured. Where the HOA will give you a weed citation (not for the good stuff but actually dandelion like weeds in your grass). It’s a swim/tennis community, with tennis groups meeting every Saturday and swim team practice during the summer months. Where people leave the front doors unlocked and their garages open during the night. It’s safe. and Overall It’s nice place to reside. My kids love it. They are always out playing with the neighborhood brats…. i’m mean children. Like the kids, the adults seem to love it as well, always inviting each other over for BBQ’s and Tupperware parties (gag). Forced social interaction, how fun.. This neighborhood is your typical american middle class dream.

Now let me introduce myself.. I am the typical middle class american father figure on the outside. I drive an SUV, own a bike and play golf a few times a month. and, when football season is around you can catch me in my chair with a beer in hand. Living the dream, eh?

My neighbor (we’ll call him David) on the other hand is not your typical dad. David lives next door. David wakes up everyday during the week to run before work and wakes up early on Saturday, not to cut the grass, but to meet up with a cycling group to ride 60 miles before 10am. He’s not your typical american dad… well, at least that’s what I think. He’s more like a pain in my butt every time I see him come back from his little activity with a huge grin on his face, always reminding me of how active he is and how much better he thinks he is than every other dad in the neighborhood. It’s frustrating so I figured I would take advantage of one of his “little outings”.

Like I mentioned earlier, I own a bike and ride by myself a few times a month. So I know what Strava is. It was made for people like David. Yes, I do post my rides and give out kudos when my heart is up to it. Gag.. another facebook like app people use for social attention. Hey! Look at me and how far I can pedal my bike. I’m so pro.. stupid stuff like that.

What chaps my backside is David has his profile on private and has never accepted my follow request. He’s a douche.. I’ve been watching David go out on his rides for over a year now and I’m fed up. Just when i was about to run out and stick my fame pump in his wheel, Strava sends me one of their blog post emails that I never open about their new “lab” projects call “Strava Flyby“. So for the first time I click the link to read more. After reading the description, it hits me like a bad case of the runs. I can use Strava Flyby to spy on David. So I do. Each morning I wake up around the time David takes off and start my “walk” on Strava. I end it shortly after, just long enough for Strava Flyby to work. Then sometime that day I’ll use the Flyby feature to see the length of David’s run/ride and how long he was out. I do this for a few weeks, jotting down the distances and times to develop the pattern to guarantee my plan is a success.

So on this one Wednesday morning, David goes out for his typical long 10 mile run before work. As I watch him from my dining room window take off down the street, I slip out out my backdoor and walk quietly through the dew laden grass (praying that my tracks will evaporate with the morning sun) in between both my house and David’s, hugging the bushes that only separate David’s driveway and my side yard. From this vantage point I take a look down the street across my front yard and then peer through the bushes across David’s lawn to see the coast is clear; zero cars coming and zero people walking. At this moment I slipped through the bushes and through the side door of his garage.

As the garage door creaks open, my breathing heavies, my palms began to sweat and my heart starts to race.. I find myself frozen after the first step. Thinking twice of what I’m about to do..

How to protect yourself:

After the secret base debacle, Strava have increased their communication around users’ privacy. They make it super easy to toggle certain privacy concerns a user might have or develop over time using the app.

Lastest Privacy Policy: www.strava.com/legal/privacy

Privacy Settings: www.strava.com/settings/privacy

Strava Privacy Support: support.strava.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001487844-Data-and-Privacy

Mobile:

Changing your privacy settings within Strava is super easy on their mobile app. I prefer this method over the desktop, that’s why I’ve listed it first.

Desktop:

Hover over your profile picture in the top right of your web page. Select “Settings” from the drop down menu. Once the “Settings” page loads click the “Privacy” link located on the left side of the page. From there you may toggle the different privacy options. Checking the Strava Labs Flyby will hide your activities from showing up on anyone’s Strava Flyby.