Strava Restricts Data Access Ahead of IPO Due to AI Scraping

Strava, a platform specializing in fitness tracking and social features for athletes, has announced new restrictions on data access. Users will now need to authenticate to view public profiles and club information. This decision aims to protect data from automated scraping, which is actively used by companies developing artificial intelligence models.

For developers, Strava is introducing a monthly fee of $11.99 for API access, though the cost may vary by region. Previously, access was provided for free under a tiered system, but now all developers will be required to pay for a subscription. The company also plans to close certain API endpoints to limit third-party data collection, a move that has frustrated some developers whose applications rely on these features.

Strava CEO Michael Martin emphasized that uncontrolled AI data scraping threatens the platform’s stability. According to him, aggressive data collection has already led to reduced service performance. Martin also accused the startup Perplexity of attempting to bypass restrictions by using intermediaries to mask the source of scraping, despite Strava’s refusal to enter into licensing agreements with AI labs.

In addition to protecting against scraping, Strava intends to implement support for the Model Context Protocol (MCP), a new standard that will allow control over AI assistants' access to data. These measures may be linked to the company’s IPO preparations, as investors are focused on data protection and transparency in its usage.