AI companies have become data-starved as they require increasingly larger data sets to train their models. To meet this demand, many AI startups aggressively scrape data, ignoring long-standing Internet practices such as adhering to robots.txt files that tell automated crawlers which parts of a website are prohibited. This has led to websites restricting access to data and, in some cases, entering into licensing agreements with AI companies. Fitness and social running company Strava is moving in this direction by restricting its website and introducing fees for developer access.
To prevent scraping, the company is strengthening its website security and now only allows authenticated users to view certain data. Previously, users could view details such as public profiles and fitness club listings without logging in. The company puts all data behind authentication to protect it from unauthorized AI scraping.
On the API side, developers could previously start building apps on Strava through a free tiered access program. You could first sign up for basic access and then request more access as your app grew. Now the company is adding a flat fee of $11.99 per month for all developers, but says prices may vary by region.
Strava said that the number of its developer community members has increased from 185,000 last year to 241,000 this year, and that it plans to continue supporting them in the future. As part of this, Strava also plans to add support for Model Context Protocol (MCP), a new standard that allows AI assistants and apps to access external data in a structured way. This allows Strava to control exactly what is shared and how.
The company also plans to retire some API endpoints, which are individual access points through which external apps can retrieve specific data, such as club details, to protect user data. Strava has already tightened its API rules in 2024, banning the use of APIs for AI training and restricting third-party apps from displaying other users’ data. The changes have sparked backlash from developers who say their apps will be severely affected.
Some developers may accept subscription payments, but terminating certain API endpoints may still impact dependent apps. Strava is giving developers a 90-day grace period before making these changes.
In an interview with TechCrunch, Strava CEO Michael Martin said that unchecked AI scraping could spell the end of the public internet.
“AI companies are ruthlessly scraping public websites in response to their insatiable need for training data, which is degrading site performance across the board,” Martin said. Over the past few months, there have been several instances of performance dropping or in some cases degrading. In addition to scraping public sites, they ignore API terminology and try to access data using APIs.”
He noted that Strava has rejected overtures from major AI labs seeking data licensing agreements. He singled out Perplexity in particular, saying AI search startups routed scraps through aggregation services to obscure their origins, despite being turned away. This is consistent with Perplexity, which has been criticized for similar behavior elsewhere in the past.
Martin also pointed to server overload caused by poorly built Vive coding apps, whose API calls were often structured inefficiently, creating a disproportionate load on Strava’s systems. This is a pattern. Meta made similar claims about system overhead when it banned third-party chatbots from WhatsApp last year.
Perhaps the timing is no coincidence. Strava secretly filed for an IPO earlier this year, and the move to protect its data may be aimed at informing potential investors of its data discipline. Comparisons to Reddit’s 2024 crackdown on API access are one thing Martin quickly addressed. Unlike Reddit, which prices API access based on the number of calls (which many app developers can’t afford), Strava is confident that its flat fee will keep the developer ecosystem intact.
“We want our users to feel like they own their data and feel comfortable with how they control and protect it, but we also want developers to continue to thrive and grow,” Martin said.
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