Garmin Connect / MapMyRide etc. User? Check your privacy settings

joemmo, February 16, 2012

If you're a user of a GPS logging site like Garmin Connect, MapMyRide, Endomondo etc. then you may want to check and consider changing your privacy settings.

Garmin for example have default privacy set to 'share' so that means any ride you upload is publicly searchable and visible to anyone. A quick look in my local area searching under 'cycling' and the word 'home' showed up loads of tracks called things like "ride home from work", "training loop from home" which basically amount to a location where a bike is kept.

Whats more, it would generally be an indicator that the bike may be valuable if the owner is a 'serious' enough cyclist to track their routes by GPS

A friend of mine recently had a break in at his home where 3 bikes were stolen despite some high security locks and floor bolts. It was clearly pre-planned and the thieves were equipped with cutting gear and a van.

A quick look at the local police site shows another stolen bike in the vicinity, listed as being equipped with a Garmin GPS. Possibly coincidence but sometihng you may wish to think about.

Tags

yup, that's good advice. i set mine to default to private for that reason.

it's easy in garmin connect, just go to settings > default privacy and choose 'private'

posted by Dave Atkinson [6104 posts] 16th February 2012 - 15:23

Thanks for that info!

Pepita rides again!

posted by pepita1 [118 posts] 16th February 2012 - 18:12

Good advice - about to do it now.

posted by mrpt5 [39 posts] 17th February 2012 - 15:13

Good call, thanks.

posted by MattT53 [75 posts] 17th February 2012 - 15:22

If you use Strava to log your rides then as a default setting it crops the first and last 50m of your ride (think you can set it to further) so that you don't lay a trail straight to your door.......

posted by carlos-the-jackal [5 posts] 22nd February 2012 - 22:20

I've set Strava to crop a 500 yard radius round my house, but can't help noticing that my house is bang in the middle of the omitted circle. It's like painting a cross-hair! It would be handy if the circle randomised it's position slightly.

If the bicycle was invented tomorrow, it would be seen as the solution, not the problem

posted by notfastenough [1971 posts] 23rd February 2012 - 10:45

If you were particularly evil, you could always start and end your logging outside the house of someone in your neighbourhood who you don't like.

Or choose a landmark in a public space like a park, or a bridge over a river, and always start / end your logging there.

The time and date in a GPS log could also be a security risk. If you ride a lot, they could reveal your habits.

two wheels good; four wheels bad

posted by cat1commuter [1187 posts] 23rd February 2012 - 16:13