Women report stalkers using exercise apps to track and harass them

Women call for better privacy defaults on exercise apps to reduce unwanted tracking and contact

By LineZotpaper AI staff

Published24 October 2026

Read Time3 min

Illustration: Women report stalkers using exercise apps to track and harass them

Women are calling for stronger default privacy settings on exercise apps, saying location-sharing features can expose them to unwanted contact.

Bianca Pickett, a 51-year-old IT worker and cyclist, argued that exercise apps make it "easy" to determine someone's location. "If you don't have privacy settings on you can figure out exactly where someone lives," she said. "It happens to women all the time."

Karen Bevan, CEO of Full Stop Australia, an organisation which supports people affected by sexual, domestic or family violence, said cyber stalking was an issue developers must take responsibility for. "Too often, staying safe on these apps depends on people finding and changing settings they may not know exist," she said. "This puts the burden in the wrong place," she said. "Platforms need to act first; most privacy settings should be switched on at sign-up, activity start and end points hidden automatically, messages from strangers off unless a user opts-in."

Melburnian Melanie Caple, 38, an app developer and long-time runner, designed her own app called SoloRunClubxx after feeling pressured to share her location while running. It tracks workouts without notifying anyone of her whereabouts, but has a safety feature that asks the user to report finishing safely; only if they fail to respond does a loved one get notified. Caple said the app was designed so that women and gender diverse people can feel free of surveillance.

In a statement, a Strava spokesperson said the platform takes the safety and privacy of its global community very seriously. "Our fully adjustable suite of privacy controls enables people to choose what they share and with whom. Key protections are on by default, including Messaging set to 'Friends Only', and the first and last 200 metres of activity maps are automatically hidden. We do not tolerate harassment, similar conduct or any other violation of our Community Standards."

Analysis

Why This Matters

Millions of women use exercise apps with GPS tracking, often unaware of privacy risks and the ease with which others can monitor their location.
The issue highlights a tension between app functionality and user safety, placing responsibility on developers to design protections by default.
Calls for tech companies to adopt safer defaults could reshape how fitness platforms balance social features with user security.

Background

Strava is a widely used fitness app that records and shares running and cycling routes via GPS. Many users share their activities socially, but the same features can be exploited for stalking. Women in Melbourne and elsewhere have reported men using the app to track their movements and contact them in person.

Key Perspectives

Bianca Pickett: Says apps make it "easy" to determine someone's location, and that complaints about predatory men have often been dismissed by cycling club administrators. Karen Bevan, CEO of Full Stop Australia: Says cyber stalking is a design responsibility, and platforms need to act first with privacy settings on by default and hidden start/end points. Melanie Caple, runner and app developer: Created an app called SoloRunClubxx that tracks workouts without sharing location, only notifying a contact if the user does not report finishing a run safely. Strava: States it offers a "fully adjustable suite of privacy controls" with key protections on by default, and that it does not tolerate harassment.

What to Watch

Whether other fitness app companies follow Caple's design model and adopt safer default privacy settings.
Any regulatory response from Australian authorities on tech platform safety and stalking prevention.
Further community pressure on Strava and similar platforms to change their default settings in response to these accounts.

Sources

Women report stalkers abusing exercise apps to harass them · ABC News

Checked

11 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 8 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedThe headline says women report stalkers using exercise apps to track and harass them.Just In: “Pickett is alarmed by instances of men abusing the tracking features of exercise apps to stalk women.”
Partly supportedThe summary says women are calling for better default privacy settings to reduce unwanted tracking and contact.Just In: ““Platforms need to act first; most privacy settings should be switched on at sign-up, activity start and end points hidden automatically, messages from strangers off unless a user opts-in””
Partly supportedThe opening says women are calling for stronger defaults because location sharing can expose them to unwanted contact.Just In: ““Platforms need to act first; most privacy settings should be switched on at sign-up, activity start and end points hidden automatically, messages from strangers off unless a user opts-in””
SupportedPickett said exercise apps can make it “easy” to determine someone’s location.Just In: “Pickett argued that some exercise apps make it “easy” to determine someone’s location.”
SupportedPickett said, “If you don't have privacy settings on you can figure out exactly where someone lives.”Just In: ““If you don’t have privacy settings on you can figure out exactly where someone lives,” she said.”
SupportedBevan said cyberstalking is an issue developers must take responsibility for.Just In: “Karen Bevan, CEO of Full Stop Australia, an organisation which supports people affected by sexual, domestic or family violence, said cyber stalking was an issue developers must take responsibility for.”
SupportedBevan said most privacy settings should be on by default, activity endpoints hidden automatically, and messages from strangers off unless users opt in.Just In: ““Platforms need to act first; most privacy settings should be switched on at sign-up, activity start and end points hidden automatically, messages from strangers off unless a user opts-in””
Partly supportedCaple designed SoloRunClubxx after feeling pressured to share her location while running.Just In: “As she has got older, however — and with incidents like Samantha Murphy’s alleged murder on a morning run — she has felt more pressure to let her family know where she is, and that she is safe.”
SupportedSoloRunClubxx tracks workouts without notifying anyone of the user's whereabouts and notifies a loved one with their location only if the user does not respond to its safety check.Just In: “It is only if they do not respond that a loved one is notified with their location.”
SupportedCaple said the app was designed so women and gender-diverse people can feel free of surveillance.Just In: “Caple said the app was designed for extraordinary instances like these, so that women and gender diverse people can otherwise feel free of surveillance.”
SupportedStrava said key privacy protections are on by default, including Friends Only messaging and hiding the first and last 200 metres of activity maps.Just In: ““Key protections are on by default, including Messaging set to ‘Friends Only’, and the first and last 200 metres of activity maps are automatically hidden.””