Live tracking privacy: who can see you during a race
The short answer
Only the people you choose. By default, people with your link see you while you're live, and nobody can find you by name unless you switch on Findable by anyone. You can share with your club, approve or remove followers, reset your link and stop at any time. The positions your phone sends are deleted after 7 days.
Live tracking means people can see where you are, so it's worth knowing exactly who those people are. On Windline and RunFast, you decide, per race, and you can change your mind at any time. This guide explains each choice, what people see about you, how your home is protected, and how long anything is kept.
Who can see me when I'm live?
Only the people you choose, and only while you're live on a race. Here are the choices, in both apps.
| Choice | Who sees you | Default |
|---|---|---|
| People with your link | Anyone you send your link to (windline.tech/f/… or runfast.tech/f/…), in any browser or in the app. On Windline this is part of People I approve. | On |
| People you approve | People who asked to follow you in the app, and you tapped Accept | On, for each request you accept |
| Your club's members | Windline: My club's members, on the club's race map, for club races you're riding. RunFast's club race map shows only runners who are Findable. | Windline: on |
| Findable by anyone | Anyone who searches your name, and everyone who opens the race's live map | Off |
On Windline, switch off People I approve and your link stops showing you. On RunFast, switching off Live tracking for a race takes that race off your link. Every change takes effect at once. Each app's own help has the exact screens: who can see you on Windline, and what RunFast keeps on RunFast.
What does Findable by anyone mean?
Findable by anyone means anyone who searches your name can find you and follow you in that race, with no account. It's a switch on the race's live tracking card. It's off unless you switch it on, and it counts for that race only.
With it on, you show up in name searches on livedot.me, windline.tech/follow and runfast.tech/follow, and you're on the race's live map for everyone who opens it. Before you go live, people who find you see only the race you made yourself Findable on. With it off, nobody can find you by name, and you're not on the public race map. Private races on Windline can't be Findable at all.
How people find someone, and what they see when they do, is in how to find someone in a race by name.
When am I visible?
Only while you're live on a race. Live tracking is per race, and it starts when you tap Start live tracking in the app.
- Before you go live: people with your link see your race and when it starts, not where you are.
- While you're live: your position, your speed or pace, your finish time and the weather where you are.
- When you pause: your followers see "Paused", and no new positions go out.
- When you stop, or finish: tracking ends. It also ends by itself at the finish, or 3 hours after your planned finish.
The apps know where you are only while you're live. Both ask for your location while using the app, never "always".
What do people see about me?
Your name, your photo if you added one, your race, and your live numbers. Never your email address, never your phone number.
- Your name: the first and last name on your account, as you set them. On taps, signed-in people show as a first name and initial, such as "Thandi M.".
- Your photo: if you added one. It also shows in search results if you're Findable.
- Your race and your numbers: where you are, distance, speed or pace, finish time, the weather where you are, your goal and your own words if you set them.
How is my home protected?
On a race that's private to you, your first and last kilometre are never shown. On a public race, you start and finish where the race does.
- Windline: a race that's Just for me is private. It can't be Findable, it has no share picture, your first and last kilometre are never shown, and only you see your planned start, your goal and your finish estimate.
- RunFast: on a race that's private to you, such as one you brought in from Strava, your first and last kilometre never show. Followers see only the line you've run, never the planned route.
- The ghost: on RunFast, the Goal marker isn't drawn near your start and finish, for your privacy.
How long is anything kept?
Not long. The raw positions your phone sends are deleted after 7 days in both apps, and the names on your taps after 30 days.
| What | Windline | RunFast |
|---|---|---|
| The positions your phone sends | Deleted after 7 days | Deleted after 7 days |
| Your line and last position | Kept 30 days, then deleted | A summary of the race, with the line you ran and your time, stays with your account for Past |
| Who tapped you, by name | 30 days, then only the count | 30 days |
| After that | A summary: whether you finished, your distance, your times and how many taps you got | Your race in Past |
Positions are never used for anything else: no analytics, no advertising, and never sold. Deleting your account deletes all of it.
Is it safe to share my live location in a race?
It's as safe as the choices you make, and the defaults are cautious. A few habits keep it that way.
- Send your link to people you know, rather than posting it publicly. If you do post it, reset it after the race.
- Leave Findable by anyone off unless you want people you don't know to follow you, for example in a big race where friends of friends are watching.
- Use a private race for an event that starts from home. Your first and last kilometre stay hidden.
- Remove or block anyone you don't want following you, and report anything that's wrong. A person looks at every report within 24 hours.
- Stop whenever you like. Your followers see that you stopped, and nothing more is sent.
The steps for removing, blocking and resetting are in how to stop someone following you.
What about taps on the back?
Anyone who can see you can give you a tap on the back. Signed-in tappers show by name; others are counted but not named. You can switch taps off in the app's settings, and block anyone whose taps you don't want. See taps on the back.
What do followers give away by following?
Very little. Followers in a browser keep their list on their own device, with no account. In the app without an account, the app knows their phone only by a random code it makes. On Windline, a tap given without signing in is kept against a random id for that phone or browser, never a name, and deleted 30 days after the last one.
Where do I set all this?
On the race's live tracking card, in the Windline or RunFast app, when you set up the race. How to set it up, send your link and go live is in how to share your live location in a race, and what to send your family is in how to get friends and family following you.
Questions
Can strangers see where I am during a race?
Only if you let them. Nobody can find you by name unless you switch on Findable by anyone, which is off by default. Otherwise only people with your link, people you approved and, if you share with your club, your club's members see you.
Does anyone see my email address or phone number?
No. Followers see the name on your account and your photo if you added one. livedot, Windline and RunFast never show an email address or a phone number.
Can people see where I live?
You're only seen while you're live on a race, and a race starts and finishes where the race does. On a race that's private to you, your first and last kilometre are never shown, so a start from home stays hidden.
Can I stop sharing in the middle of a race?
Yes. Tap Pause or Stop in the app at any time. Changes to who can see you take effect at once, and switching off Findable by anyone takes you out of searches and off the race maps straight away.
Is my location data sold or used for advertising?
No. The positions your phone sends while you're live are used only to show you to the people you chose. They're never used for analytics or advertising, and never sold.
