Strava Bans User for Running in North Korea (dcrainmaker.com) 15
Fitness tracking platform Strava has terminated user accounts for uploading running activities recorded in North Korea, citing U.S. sanctions that prohibit offering online services to the country. A doctoral student researching North Korea had her account deleted after uploading a run recorded during a visit to the country. Another user was banned for a virtual treadmill workout set in North Korea, though their account was later reinstated.
"In accordance with mandatory U.S. sanctions and export controls, Strava does not allow users to post activities occurring there," the company told technology blogger Ray Maker in a statement. Unlike Strava, other major tech platforms including YouTube, Facebook and Apple do not appear to restrict content created in North Korea from being uploaded once users return home.
"In accordance with mandatory U.S. sanctions and export controls, Strava does not allow users to post activities occurring there," the company told technology blogger Ray Maker in a statement. Unlike Strava, other major tech platforms including YouTube, Facebook and Apple do not appear to restrict content created in North Korea from being uploaded once users return home.
Couldn't they just geofence? (Score:5, Insightful)
Why not just reject data that's located in a sanctioned region like North Korea?
Re:Couldn't they just geofence? (Score:5, Insightful)
Strava 'engineers' can't even write code to tell if a bike that spends 1hr riding at ~9kph for an hour on mountain bike trails, then suddenly rips along the road for 30mins at 60+kph is still doing a 'ride'.
Whoever codes at Strava (or at least tells them what to do) is an utter buffoon.
Re:Couldn't they just geofence? (Score:5, Insightful)
I saw a leader board once where a cyclist had broken the sound barrier. To say their coders are shit is insulting to shit.
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Yup, I've had rides where I end up in the stratosphere.
Strava doesn't blink that my elevation is 10x the distance I rode.
That's just the tip of the iceberg. The way they handled URL abuse was a travesty. Just ban ALL URLs. Even to their own site. So you couldn't post a link to a segment or ride or their own event function.
The market is ripe for a competitor with even the tiniest competence to take over the scene. They've given everyone every reason to leave.
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Strava 'engineers' can't even write code to tell if a bike that spends 1hr riding at ~9kph for an hour on mountain bike trails, then suddenly rips along the road for 30mins at 60+kph is still doing a 'ride'.
But those are things that are expected to happen over the course of a ride, or a run. Even professional ones https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
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Re: (Score:1)
Why not just reject data that's located in a sanctioned region like North Korea?
You will never make get inducted into the Petty Tyrant Hall of Fame with that kind of attitude, mister.
Just to clarify... (Score:1)
Strava is doing the right thing (Score:2)
They can't sell or transfer, or even facilitate the transfer of electronic items, or conduct business with anyone in North Korea. Banning users that show up in North Korea is the right thing to do.
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Not really. Banning users who register their devices in North Korea is the right thing to do. Banning users who happen to run there despite obviously not being North Koreans is at most a justification to get the specific run deleted, or just flash up an error during upload.
Defending a ban is just stupid. It's not up to *you* to ensure the company who provides your product is protected against violating sanctions, a list so complex and extensive that the Office of Foreign Assets Control maintains a searchabl
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Bans seem silly (Score:3)
In North Korea (Score:1)