Strava Exits South Korea and other countries
This week, Strava stopped its service in South Korea, adding the country to the list that already includes Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Iran, China and Cuba (Yikes! That’s a list and a half). It’s unclear if this stops any activities from being recorded in South Korea or prohibits South Korean residents from using them. At least the latter, as the Strava app has been removed from the local Apple and Google app stores.
Existing Strava users can still use the app, but no further updates are planned.
South Korea is one of the good guys, right? So it’s surprising they’ve been added to that list. The reason is probably not political but aligns local laws and country-specific requirements with Strava’s company policy.
Interesting Sidenote: dcrainmker wrote an article earlier this week concerning NORTH Korea.
My suggestion for a cause would be South Korea’s strict privacy laws, particularly those concerning location data. Similar regulations have previously impacted other location-based services, such as Apple’s AirTag and FindMy.
Your alternatives? This is an excellent week for Ride with GPS (RwGPS is a site I like and approve of). Only today, dcrainmaker also points out that venture capitalists have just acquired a competitor of Strava and Ride with GPS, Komoot, with a history of immediately laying off all or most of the acquired staff.
Source: forums and Strava
