Not quite the same, you are actively choosing to use strava, & even then strava has pretty good tools to co tol what is visible or shared. Not so with most cars, you don't even know what data is being sent out.
My thought exactly! I first joined Strava so their surveillance of my riding would contribute to urban heatmaps, as a counter to the "no one bikes in St. John's" nonsense that circulates here.
There's one meaningful exception to this: Vanmoof eBikes, which are sold with a tracking device and a theft-recovery plan, where they track down your bike if it's stolen and attempt recovery.
My bicycle is absolutely a surveillance platform. If you see me on my bicycle and threaten, harass, or assault me or those within visual range with your car, it will be recorded. I wish it wasn't this way, but far too many people have demonstrated that they shouldn't have access to cars and yet do.
But the phone in your pocket as you ride is, the maps you use are, the riding app you use is, the training platform, and the smart (ha!) trainer you use too.
I know, not as intrusive, but could still be used to identify an individual, no?
Indeed, my bike does not surveille me.
My vague point was that, with or without cars, we are now mostly willing (albeit unwittingly) to be be surveilled and our data monetised.
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FWIW, Strava has introduced a lot of privacy controls!
(also I was tryna be snarky)
But by the same token, I no longer ride with a GPS head unit on my bike. Or any cpu-based tech.
I don't need my 'numbers', PBs and power stats to make a ride feel real. These days I just ride by feel.
I know, not as intrusive, but could still be used to identify an individual, no?
My vague point was that, with or without cars, we are now mostly willing (albeit unwittingly) to be be surveilled and our data monetised.
'I mean, where's the harm?....'