If you give Strava access to your phone or social media contacts, it will continuously access and store that contact list to suggest connections, not just a one-time sync.
This analysis describes what Strava's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
Ongoing access to your contact list means Strava collects and stores information about people who have never signed up for Strava and who have not consented to having their data processed by the service.
Granting Strava access to your contacts means your friends' and colleagues' names and contact details are stored by Strava even if those individuals are not Strava users, and this access is ongoing rather than a single import.
How other platforms handle this
Your organization may allow you to access and export your data in order to back it up or transfer it to a service outside of Google.
to request that your data be transferred to a third party (data portability)
To stop us collecting your location information, you can update your device settings, stop using the Service, or uninstall our mobile apps.
"You can choose to share contacts from your mobile device or social networking accounts. If you share this information, we will regularly access and store it to help you connect with Strava users you may know.Excerpt from Strava's Privacy Policy
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: The collection and storage of contact data belonging to individuals who have not consented to Strava's data processing raises questions under GDPR, specifically regarding the lawful basis for processing non-user personal data and …
Enforcement risk, jurisdiction flags, contract triggers, and due diligence action items.
Ad personalization controls removed. Contact scanning added. Advertiser data partnerships quietly dropped. A timeline of every change.
Get the research letter
Companies change their terms quietly. We read every version and catch what actually changed. One email a week on the changes that matter and what they mean.
Ongoing access to your contact list means Strava collects and stores information about people who have never signed up for Strava and who have not consented to having their data processed by the service.
Granting Strava access to your contacts means your friends' and colleagues' names and contact details are stored by Strava even if those individuals are not Strava users, and this access is ongoing rather than a single import.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 290 platforms. See the full comparison.
No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Strava.