GPSies.com Merging with AllTrails.com

[ninthace]

GPSies.com is being taken over by AllTrails.com and user accounts and personal data will be transferred to AllTrails.  GPSies was a very successful site, run as a hobby, similar in nature to other gps route sharing sites.  Founded in 2006, it has become a victim of its own success and the owner cannot keep up with it.  GPSies is based in Europe, whereas AllTrails is based in the USA, which has implications for data protection although they say arrangements are in place to extend the European data protection to the accounts they import.
Anyone with a GPSies account should have received an email informing them of the merger and giving them the opportunity of opting out and having their data deleted before the transfer takes place.  If any forum members think they are affected but have not had an email, they can visit www.gpsies.com directly.

[gunwharfman]

I know nothing about this subject but I was interested in the 'gpsies' word so I logged onto the site.

There it was, immediately after the 'gpsies' word were the words 'Tracks for vagabonds.' I assume the cleverness of it is to associate the word gpsies with Gypsies, perhaps meaning free, hence the word vagabonds? To my knowledge, I haven't heard the word 'vagabond' spoken or have read it anywhere for years. I don't know why but to me it's a likeable word, it has a certain je ne sais quoi to it.

When I next go hiking I might try to take on the role. 

[gunwharfman]

I just had a look at the AllTrails page, looks worth exploring. It looks similar to the Wikilocs site that I use.

[BuzyG]

It is interesting to note just how much data these sort of sites hold. 

I lost track of an old school freind, after they moved house.  We have been following our son on Strava, out  in NZ. So I though I would see if my freind used the app too.  Turned out he did and within two bike rides I had worked out exactly where he now lives, from the GPS tracks. Fine I am an old freind and he permitted my access to the data.  But a hacker could do just the same.

[vghikers]

...within two bike rides I had worked out exactly where he now lives, from the GPS tracks

Yes indeed. I believe the security picture is even worse for fitness tracking devices. I think users can make the location track public, so anyone can track them in real time and very easily work out their daily/weekly routines.