Strava is moving to restrict access to its platform as the fitness-tracking company prepares for an initial public offering. The firm announced it will place previously public profile and fitness club data behind authentication requirements, effectively blocking automated scrapers from harvesting user information for AI model training.
According to reporting by TechCrunch, the company is also overhauling its developer ecosystem. Strava is ending its free, tiered access program in favor of a flat $11.99 monthly fee for API access, though the company noted that pricing may fluctuate based on geographic location.
Shifting data access policies
These changes follow a broader trend in the tech industry where platforms are increasingly restricting data to prevent unauthorized ingestion by AI startups. By requiring users to authenticate before viewing public content, Strava aims to stop scrapers that previously operated without permission, often ignoring robots.txt files.
While the company is tightening its grip on data, it is also attempting to standardize how authorized developers interact with its infrastructure. Strava plans to implement support for the Model Context Protocol (MCP), a framework that allows AI assistants to access external data in a structured, controlled manner.
Despite the push for modernization, the strategy has not been without friction. The company is currently moving to retire specific API endpoints, a decision that follows a 2024 crackdown on third-party apps that limited their ability to display user data. These prior restrictions faced significant backlash from developers, who argued the changes crippled the functionality of their applications.
Strava officials stated that the developer community has expanded to 241,000 members, up from 185,000 last year. To mitigate the impact of the new API changes, the company has granted developers a 90-day grace period to adjust to the new fee structure and restricted access points.
