Acceptable Use Policy

Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception

Child sexual abuse and exploitation content is prohibited

Strava says it has zero tolerance for child sexual abuse and exploitation. Its examples of prohibited content include nude images of children, sexually explicit imagery depicting a child (photorealistic or cartoon), sexualizing children through comments, poses or cropping, promoting or normalizing sexual exploitation of children, contacting a child for sexual exploitation or sexual solicitation (grooming), and jokes or memes normalizing children in sexual acts.

Supporting quotations

We have zero tolerance for child sexual abuse and exploitation on Strava.

Nude images of children

Sexually explicit imagery (including photorealistic or cartoon) depicting a child

Sexualization of children through comments, poses, cropping, etc.

Promoting, glorifying or normalizing sexual exploitation of children

Contact with a child for sexual exploitation and any sexual solicitation (grooming)

Jokes or memes or any content normalizing children in sexual acts

Qualifications & exceptions

• The examples are illustrative, not an exhaustive list.

Cross-references

• contrast (model-proposed): Listed examples are not exhaustive; Strava may make exceptions — The policy says Strava may make exceptions to 'these policies' where appropriate, yet states zero tolerance for child sexual abuse and exploitation; the document does not say whether the exceptions can apply to child safety.

Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception

Dangerous, violent and graphic content is not allowed

Strava does not allow dangerous, violent or graphic content. It defines dangerous content as content that can likely cause serious harm or injury, violent content as content that depicts, glorifies, justifies, facilitates or promotes violence, and graphic content as content that elicits reactions of shock, disgust or distress.

Supporting quotations

We do not allow dangerous, violent, or graphic content on Strava.

Dangerous content is content that can likely cause serious harm or injury.

Violent content is content that depicts, glorifies, justifies, facilitates, or promotes violence.

Graphic content is content that elicits reactions of shock, disgust, or distress.

Not stated here

• The policy does not say who judges whether content 'elicits reactions of shock, disgust, or distress'.

Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception

Examples: dangerous items and activities, and violence

Examples of prohibited content include instructions for building or selling dangerous items, instructions for misusing inherently dangerous items, dangerous activities and challenges that pose significant risk to health or that are safe only for qualified individuals, imagery of violent acts, threats of violence against a person or group, content advocating, inciting, normalizing or glorifying violence, instructions for committing violent activities, and content promoting human trafficking and migrant smuggling.

Supporting quotations

Instructions for building or selling dangerous items

Instructions for misusing inherently dangerous items

Dangerous activities and challenges which pose significant risk to health when performed or are safe to be performed only by qualified individuals

Imagery of violent acts

Threats of violence against a person or a group of people

Content advocating, inciting, normalizing, or glorifying violence

Instructions for committing violent activities

Content promoting human trafficking and migrant smuggling

Qualifications & exceptions

• The activities-and-challenges example is limited to activities that pose significant risk to health or are safe to be performed only by qualified individuals.

Not stated here

• The policy does not say which specific activities meet the 'significant risk' or 'qualified individuals' description.

Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception

Examples: animal abuse, terrorist content and graphic imagery

Examples of prohibited content also include content showing abuse of animals or graphic imagery of animals intended for shock or disgust, terrorist or radical extremist content (such as praising terrorism, sharing manifestos, images or logos of terrorist organizations, recruiting or fundraising for them, or sharing content they produce), content showing dead bodies or dismembered or mutilated human or animal body parts, and gratuitous sharing of imagery of bodily fluids like blood and vomit shared with the intent to shock or disgust.

Supporting quotations

Content showing abuse of animals or any graphic imagery of animals intended for shock or disgust

Terrorist or radical extremist content such as content praising acts of terrorism, sharing manifestos, images or logos associated with terrorist organizations, recruiting or fundraising for terrorist organizations, or sharing content produced by terrorist organizations.

Content showing dead bodies or dismembered or mutilated body parts of humans or animals

Gratuitous sharing of imagery of bodily fluids like blood and vomit shared with the intent to shock or disgust

Qualifications & exceptions

• The animal imagery and bodily-fluid examples turn on an intent to shock or disgust (the bodily-fluid example also requires the sharing to be gratuitous).

Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception

Fraudulent, false, deceptive or misleading content is not allowed

Strava does not allow content that is fraudulent or contains false, deceptive or misleading statements, claims or representations.

Supporting quotations

We do not allow content that is fraudulent or contains false, deceptive, or misleading statements, claims or representations.

Not stated here

• The policy does not say how Strava decides whether a statement is false or misleading.

Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception

Examples of prohibited false or misleading content

Examples include false or misleading content about health or medical information or civic processes; false or misleading information about events or topics that can incite violence or create serious safety risks (such as wildfires or active shootings); conspiracy theories (such as denying well-documented violent events); manipulated media designed to deceive or defraud by altering a reasonable person's understanding of real-world events with potential for significant harm; and the targeted sharing of misleading content intended to undermine faith in another country's public institutions.

Supporting quotations

False or misleading content about health or medical information

False or misleading content about civic processes

False or misleading information about events or topics that can incite violence or create serious safety risks (e.g., misleading information related to wildfires or active shootings)

Conspiracy theories (e.g., denying well-documented violent events)

Manipulated media designed to deceive or defraud someone by altering a reasonable person's understanding of real world events with potential to cause significant harm to individuals or groups

The targeted sharing of misleading content with the intent of undermining faith in public institutions of another country

Qualifications & exceptions

• The manipulated-media example requires a design to deceive or defraud and potential to cause significant harm to individuals or groups.
• The public-institutions example requires targeted sharing with the intent of undermining faith in public institutions of another country.
• The events example is limited to information that can incite violence or create serious safety risks.

Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception

Intimidating and threatening content is not allowed

Strava does not allow content that intimidates or causes someone to fear for their safety. Examples include personal attacks targeting someone with insults, profanity, offensive language, unwanted sexualization or other malicious acts; threatening others or wishing harm or death on them; and mocking or belittling someone's personal loss.

Supporting quotations

We do not allow content that intimidates, or causes someone to fear for their safety.

Personal attacks targeting someone with insults, profanity, offensive language, unwanted sexualization, or any other malicious acts

Threatening others or wishing harm or death on them

Mocking or belittling someone’s personal loss

Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception

Harassment examples: intimate imagery, brigading, doxxing and misuse of reporting

Examples of prohibited harassment also include sharing or threatening to share non-consensual explicit or intimate imagery; coordinated targeting of another Strava community or account through mass commenting, spamming and harassment (brigading); creating accounts dedicated to harassment, brigading or repeated unwanted contact; misusing Strava's reporting mechanisms to harass someone; and doxxing, or encouraging others to harass, dox or brigade.

Supporting quotations

Sharing or threatening to share non-consensual explicit or intimate imagery

Coordinated targeting of another Strava community or account through actions like mass commenting, spamming, and harassment (brigading)

Creating accounts dedicated to harassment, brigading, or repeated unwanted contact

Misuse of our reporting mechanisms to harass someone

Doxxing, or encouraging others to harass, dox, or brigade

Cross-references

• referred to by (model-proposed): Personal images and how to report ones shared without consent — The personal information section sends reports of intimate or sexual images shared without consent to the harassment category.
• referred to by (model-proposed): Repeated unfounded complaints can lead to a warning or suspension — Repeated unfounded complaints relate to the harassment example of misusing reporting mechanisms to harass someone.

Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception

Hateful content about groups is not allowed

Strava does not allow hateful content, which it defines as content that attacks, demeans, discriminates, or promotes harmful stereotypes about a group of people based on race, ethnicity, age, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, caste, sex, gender, gender identity, serious disease, disability, body type or immigration status.

Supporting quotations

We do not allow hateful content on Strava. Hateful content is content that attacks, demeans, discriminates, or promotes harmful stereotypes about a group of people based on their race, ethnicity, age, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, caste, sex, gender, gender identity, serious disease, disability, body type, or immigration status.

Qualifications & exceptions

• The definition covers content that attacks, demeans, discriminates or promotes harmful stereotypes about a group on the listed bases.

Not stated here

• The examples refer to a 'protected category' or 'protected categories' without a separate definition; the list in this definition is the closest statement of the bases.

Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception

Examples of prohibited hateful content

Examples include hate symbols and images; dehumanizing a group based on a protected category (for instance comparing them to animals, pests or diseases); directing profanity and hateful slurs at members of a protected category; praising, justifying, glorifying, inciting or encouraging violence against a group based on protected categories; claiming a group is inherently inferior to another; implicit and explicit threats against a group associated with a protected category; and negative generalizations or harmful stereotypes associated with protected categories.

Supporting quotations

Hate symbols and images

Dehumanizing a group based on their protected category, such as by comparing them to animals, pests, or diseases.

Directing profanity and hateful slurs at members of a protected category

Praising, justifying, glorifying, or inciting violence against a group based on protected categories

Encouraging or advocating violence against a protected group

Claiming a group is inherently inferior (intellectually, morally, physically, etc.) than another group based on protected categories

Implicit and explicit threats against a group associated with any protected category

Negative generalizations or harmful stereotypes associated with protected categories

Qualifications & exceptions

• Each example is tied to a protected category or a group associated with one.

Not stated here

• The policy does not define 'protected category' separately from the characteristics listed in its definition of hateful content.

Content & IP Rights · Company commitment

Personal information or images shared by others without consent are removed

Strava says it respects users' privacy and aims to keep its communities safe from harm. It will remove personal information or personal images that are shared by others without consent.

Supporting quotations

We will remove personal information or personal images shared by others without consent.

Qualifications & exceptions

• The removal commitment is for personal information or images shared by others without consent.

Not stated here

• The policy does not say how consent is established or how quickly removal happens.

Cross-references

• referred to by (model-proposed): Violating privacy, publicity or other personal rights is prohibited — Doxxing and sharing personal information without consent as illegal personal-rights violations connect to the personal-information removal commitment.

Content & IP Rights · Context

What counts as personal information under this policy

Personal information covers contact information (physical address, email, social media handles or phone number), government-issued identifications (such as a driver's license, social security number, resident registration or identity card, passport details or taxpayer ID), financial information (such as bank accounts, credit card numbers and associated log-in info), and highly personal and restricted records like medical records.

Supporting quotations

Personal information covers:

Contact information such as physical address, email, social media handles, or phone number

Government-issued identifications such as drivers license, social security numbers, resident registration or identity cards, passport details, or taxpayer IDs

Financial information such as bank accounts, credit card numbers, and associated log-in info

Highly personal and restricted records like medical records

Qualifications & exceptions

• The items are illustrated with 'such as'; the list is described as what personal information 'covers'.

Content & IP Rights · Procedure

Personal images and how to report ones shared without consent

Personal images are images of an individual where they are identifiable from the image itself or from the image combined with apparent metadata. The policy points to a Strava help page for reporting a photo or video shared without your consent, and says to report sharing of intimate or sexual images without consent as harassment.

Supporting quotations

Personal images are images of an individual where they are identifiable based on their image itself or a combination of image and apparent meta data.

for details on reporting a photo or video shared without your consent.

Please report the sharing of intimate or sexual images without consent as harassment.

Qualifications & exceptions

• An image counts as a personal image only where the individual is identifiable, from the image itself or from the image combined with apparent metadata.

Not stated here

• The linked help page's reporting instructions are separate and not supplied in this document, so the steps for reporting are not stated here.

Cross-references

• refers to (model-proposed): Harassment examples: intimate imagery, brigading, doxxing and misuse of reporting — The personal information section sends reports of intimate or sexual images shared without consent to the harassment category.

Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception

Content facilitating trade, marketing, making or use of restricted goods is not allowed

Strava does not allow content that facilitates the trade, marketing, manufacturing or use of restricted goods. Restricted goods are products governed by laws that restrict their manufacture, purchase, sale or ownership in order to ensure user safety.

Supporting quotations

We do not allow content on Strava that facilitates the trade, marketing, manufacturing or use of restricted goods.

Restricted goods refer to products that are governed by laws that restrict the manufacturing, purchase, sale, or ownership of the goods in order to ensure user safety.

Qualifications & exceptions

• The prohibition is on content that facilitates trade, marketing, manufacturing or use, not on every mention of such goods.

Content & IP Rights · Context

Goods the policy lists as restricted

Restricted goods include alcohol and tobacco products (including nicotine and vaping products); firearms, explosives and other weapons; regulated health and medical devices; endangered animals; and illegal drugs, prescription and over-the-counter drugs, and unapproved supplements.

Supporting quotations

Restricted goods include:

Alcohol and tobacco products (including nicotine and vaping products)

Firearms, explosives, and other weapons

Regulated health and medical devices

Endangered animals

Illegal drugs, prescription and over-the-counter drugs, unapproved supplements

Qualifications & exceptions

• The list is introduced as what restricted goods 'include'.

Not stated here

• The policy does not say how 'unapproved' supplements are determined or which authority's approval applies.

Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception

Examples: selling, making, circumventing or glorifying restricted goods

Examples of prohibited content include facilitating the sale, purchase, exchange or donation of restricted goods; instructions for manufacturing a restricted good; instructions on circumventing regulated access measures; and glorifying or glamorizing use of restricted goods.

Supporting quotations

Facilitating sale, purchase, exchange or donation of restricted goods

Instructions for manufacturing a restricted good

Instructions on circumventing regulated access measures

Glorifying or glamorizing use of restricted goods

Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception

Sexually explicit or exploitative content is not allowed

Strava does not allow sexually explicit or exploitative content, which it describes as material that contains textual descriptions or visual depictions of nudity or sexual activities.

Supporting quotations

We do not allow sexually explicit or exploitative content on our platform. Sexual content refers to material that contains textual descriptions or visual depictions of nudity or sexual activities.

Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception

Examples of prohibited sexual content

Examples include nudity or any sexually explicit content; sharing sexual or private imagery obtained or published without consent; sexual abuse; coercing people into sexual acts for commerce; using intimate, naked or sexual photos or videos to blackmail someone; gratuitous sharing of sexual imagery of others; and sexual solicitation or any sexually obscene content.

Supporting quotations

Nudity or any sexually explicit content

Sharing imagery that is private or sexual in nature obtained or published without consent

Sexual abuse

Sexual exploitation of people by coercing them to perform sexual acts for commerce

Use of intimate, naked or sexual photos or videos to blackmail someone to pay money or do something against their will

Gratuitous sharing of sexual imagery of others

Sexual solicitation or any sexually obscene content

Qualifications & exceptions

• The imagery example turns on it being obtained or published without consent, and the sharing example on it being gratuitous.

Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception

Content that promotes suicide, self-harm or eating disorders is not allowed

Strava does not allow content that shows, promotes, facilitates or encourages suicide, self-harm or eating disorders. The policy adds a message that someone who is in danger should please get help and points to a list of support organizations.

Supporting quotations

We do not allow content on Strava that shows, promotes, facilitates, or encourages suicide, self-harm, or eating disorders.

If you or someone you know is in danger, please get help.

Not stated here

• The linked list of support organizations is an outside page; its contents are not supplied in this document.

Content & IP Rights · Context

How suicide, self-harm and eating disorder content is defined

Suicide content is text or media depicting suicide or suicidal ideation or attempts. Self-harm content is text or media related to someone harming themselves on purpose. Eating disorders cover eating and exercise behaviors that seriously affect the ability of a person to get the nutrients the body needs, thereby affecting their health significantly.

Supporting quotations

Suicide content refers to text or media depicting suicide or suicidal ideation or attempts. Self-harm content refers to text or media related to someone harming themselves on purpose. Eating disorders cover eating and exercise behaviors that seriously affect the ability of a person to get the nutrients the body needs, thereby affecting their health significantly.

Qualifications & exceptions

• The eating-disorder definition is limited to eating and exercise behaviors that seriously affect the ability to get needed nutrients and significantly affect health.

Not stated here

• The policy does not say how Strava decides whether a particular post meets the eating-disorder definition.

Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception

Examples of prohibited suicide, self-harm and eating disorder content

Examples include depicting suicide or self-harm; showing or linking to sites or communities that feature or promote suicide, self-harm or eating disorders; sharing plans for carrying out suicide, self-harm or engaging in eating disorders; providing instructions for harming oneself; glorifying suicide, self-harm and eating disorders; encouraging suicidal ideation and planning; and minimizing or mocking people for experiences related to them.

Supporting quotations

Depicting suicide or self-harm

Showing or linking to sites or communities that feature or promote suicide, self-harm, and eating disorders

Sharing plans for carrying out suicide, self-harm or engaging in eating disorders

Providing instructions for harming oneself

Glorifying suicide, self-harm, and eating disorders

Encouraging suicidal ideation and planning

Minimizing or mocking people for experiences related to suicide, self-harm, or eating disorders

Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception

Inauthentic or disruptive content and behavior is not allowed

Strava does not allow content or behaviors that are inauthentic or that cause disruption within its communities or to Strava systems. The section then lists examples of prohibited content and behaviors.

Supporting quotations

We do not allow content or behaviors that are inauthentic or cause disruption within our communities or to Strava systems.

Examples of prohibited content and behaviors:

Qualifications & exceptions

• The examples that follow are illustrative; the policy elsewhere says its example lists are not exhaustive.

Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception

Examples: manipulating leaderboard data and posting inauthentic activities

Examples of inauthentic content and behavior include manipulating data used for leaderboards and posting activities that do not reflect authentic activities completed by you.

Supporting quotations

Inauthentic content and behaviors, including

Manipulating data used for leaderboards

Posting activities that do not reflect authentic activities completed by you

Qualifications & exceptions

• The activities example is limited to activities that do not reflect authentic activities completed by the person posting them.

Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception

Examples: impersonation, deception and steering users off the platform

Examples of inauthentic behavior also include directing users outside of the platform to participate in financial schemes, sexual exploitation, or to otherwise encourage inauthentic interactions; impersonating a person, company or brand; and misrepresenting oneself to deceive others.

Supporting quotations

Directing users outside of the platform to participate in financial schemes, sexual exploitation, or to otherwise encourage inauthentic interactions

Impersonation of a person, company, or brand

Misrepresenting oneself to deceive others

Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception

Example: unsolicited or repetitive posting to get attention or promote a business

Under inflammatory or disruptive behavior, Strava lists posting, commenting or otherwise creating content in an unsolicited or repetitive manner to get attention, gain more followers, advertise or promote a business.

Supporting quotations

Inflammatory or disruptive behavior, including

Posting, commenting, or otherwise creating content in an unsolicited or repetitive manner to get attention, gain more followers, advertise, or promote a business

Qualifications & exceptions

• The example turns on the content being unsolicited or repetitive and made for attention, followers, advertising or business promotion.

Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception

Examples: significantly or repeatedly disrupting other users

Significantly or repeatedly disrupting the experience of other Strava users is prohibited, with examples: posting content unrelated to a club's purpose in that club; repeatedly requesting followers, kudos, club joins or engagement to rapidly amplify the reach of your content; posting the same content in multiple places; posting objectionable content in public surfaces such as segments or routes; and coordinating a social media campaign on Strava or other platforms to request a new product feature or change outside of the Developer Hub, or to try to get Strava to revisit a decision.

Supporting quotations

Significantly or repeatedly disrupting the experience of other Strava users, such as

Posting content that is unrelated to the purpose of a club in that club

Repeatedly requesting followers, kudos, club joins, or engagement to rapidly amplify the reach of your content

Posting the same pieces of content in multiple places

Posting objectionable content in public surfaces, such as segments or routes on Strava

Coordinating a social media campaign on Strava or other platforms to request a new product feature or product change outside of the Developer Hub, or to attempt to get Strava to revisit a decision

Qualifications & exceptions

• The examples are introduced as significant or repeated disruption of other users' experience.
• The campaign example covers campaigns on Strava or on other platforms, and is limited to requests made outside of the Developer Hub.

Not stated here

• The policy does not say what counts as 'objectionable content' on public surfaces beyond this example.

Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception

Posting content that infringes intellectual property is prohibited

Strava expects everyone using it to abide by the relevant laws that apply to them, and prohibits posting content that infringes, dilutes, misappropriates or otherwise violates any intellectual property, including copyrights, patents, trademarks, trade secrets or other proprietary information, including unauthorized use of domain names.

Supporting quotations

We expect everyone using Strava to abide by all the relevant laws applicable to them.

Do not post content that infringes, dilutes, misappropriates or otherwise violates any intellectual property, including copyrights, patents, trademarks, trade secrets, or other proprietary information—including unauthorized use of domain names.