Lesson 15 of 19 · About 4 minutes
Free lesson: location privacy
Learn the concept.
Run proud. Share smart. A race finish is worth celebrating. Before you post a workout, check whether its map also shares your home or when you are usually out.
Two controls. Different jobs.
Run proud. Share smart.
- Map visibility
Hide start/end or the entire route.
- Activity audience
Limit who can view the activity.
Read the visualDoes hiding endpoints also make an activity followers-only?
No. Configure map visibility and the activity audience separately.
Four routes can tell one story
A public workout map may show the place where you start and finish. If several runs begin at your front door, their shared endpoint can suggest where you live. Repeated times, such as “6:00 AM daily,” add clues about your routine. A single route is not proof of an address, but the pattern can reveal more than you intended.
Use both map and audience controls
In your running app’s privacy settings, look for map visibility or privacy zones to hide the start and end. Separately, limit activities to followers or approved friends instead of everyone. Review who follows you. These controls do different jobs: one hides part of the route; the other decides who can see the activity.
Treat a privacy zone as a helpful layer
Hidden endpoints are not a guarantee. Researchers have shown that visible route patterns can sometimes reveal a protected location. Hiding the entire map is the strongest map-sharing option. Choose “Only you” for an activity you do not want to share at all. Check older activities, since a new default may apply only to future uploads.
Share the celebration afterward
Post after you are home rather than sharing your live location. Check captions, screenshots, landmarks, and timestamps for clues you meant to keep private. Delaying a post reduces live exposure, but does not erase a repeated schedule. You can celebrate a Chicago Marathon finish without showing every run from your doorstep.
Put it in context
A fictional runner shares four different routes. Every map begins at the same house, and the profile says “6:00 AM daily.” In Try, change two privacy settings and identify the routine leak. The preview explains what each setting changes and what it cannot promise.
Make a decision.
Explore the practice space, then answer the check-in below. A correct answer lets you save this lesson to your progress.
PRACTICE · FICTIONAL SCENARIO
Four runs. One starting point.
Look at four fictional runs from the same house. Hide their start and end, limit the audience to followers, and identify the routine the profile reveals.
Enable JavaScript to try the controls. This practice does not change real settings or submit personal information.
Take this with you.
Hide map endpoints, choose a smaller audience, and share after you are home. Hide the whole map when location privacy matters most.
Next lesson: Free lesson: secure home Wi-Fi- Hide your map’s start and end.
- Share with friends, not everyone.
- Post after you’re home.
For the strongest protection against revealing a route, hide the entire map. Check older activities and who can follow you, too.
See it in a Short.
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