The removal of URLs/links – questions I expect Strava to answer

[tlem]

I'm sorry but the "solution" that was posted in the other thread about this issue is not a solution. A solution would be something that brings our activities, posts, comments, etc to the exact same state they were before you removed the URLs.

You didn't even answer the big open questions we have regarding what happened. I would like Strava to urgently answer the following questions:

(1) Are you filtering URLs merely in the user interface and in the API – or have you actually modified the content stored in your database?

(2) If it is the latter case, how are we going to recover our data? What kind of backups do you have? Are you going to restore all the URLs and other removed content from the backups once this "ongoing situation" is over? Can we at least download an intact version of our data for our own use?

(3) Why there was zero communication about what is going to happen beforehand? It's clear now that you removed the URLs on purpose. The removal wouldn't have been okay even if you gave us an advance warning, but at least it would have made the situation a little bit more bearable.

I could maybe understand if you temporarily disabled adding NEW links to NEW activities, but instead, you retroactively removed all the links from old activities. This has nothing to do with safety and is totally unacceptable.

[drakewla]

Between the inaction regarding the clutter in the feed for ages, and now this censorship, I just cancelled my premium features after 11 years.

[mjpost]

Good for you. What they've done here—both in preventing links from being posted, and worse, in modifying user-contributed personal content—are serious breaches of trust. Their response to this has been insufficient, off the cuff, and frankly rings of adolescence. I get so much value from Strava that I will have a hard time cancelling my Pro subscription but I am very seriously considering it. It's not just these actions, but what it shows more deeply about how they view their customer base.

I just can't get over how inappropriate, rash, and incompetent it was of them to to edit people's past content, including that of all paying customers. Outrageous.

[curio_o]

I hope they bring links back. Posting the song of the ride is the reason why I bother to write a post at all! Don't call yourself social media, make me pay for it, and then not allow anyone to share any links. Boo!! 

[Jan_Mantau]

Maybe there really was an emergency where the current quick and very unprofessional implemented sanction was better than doing nothing. But @tlem is right, the 4 days too late communication of this is unacceptable and closing the related threads for further comments is questionable too.

[mjpost]

Their official response (https://communityhub.strava.com/t5/strava-features-chat/upholding-platform-safety/m-p/45352/thread-i...) suggests they don't really care and have no plans to revert this. Just deep, deep incompetence and unprofessionalism.

[Andycooke99]

Looks like a heavy handed quick fix , all my just giving links were removed from charity rides. Apparently it's only temporary,  but will they put them back later or are they permanently deleted? It's annoying as my post was viewed by a few hundred people , but had no link for donations and the moments gone. Pissed off.