A challenge called data protection
Two central requirements for using Summitree This includes creating a personal account and sharing your location to allow the app to track the distances you travel. This can be done on foot, by bike, on inline skates, in a canoe, but also by hand bike, in a wheelchair and using more unusual sports equipment such as a baby jogger or sled. If you are looking to work out at the gym, play tennis or do yoga, you do not need to share your location with the app. Distances traveled can also be entered manually, but this is unlikely to provide the comfortable user experience that most people want. In addition, sets Summitree that users share their achievements with colleagues or publicly in order to motivate them to participate. These aspects require particularly careful consideration of the provider’s approach to consumer protection and, in particular, data security.
The positive thing is that you can only register with the app using your own email address and there is no alternative and less data-saving login via a Facebook or Google interface. Registration must be confirmed by clicking on a link sent by email by the provider.
The scope of data protection regulations, which, for example, explain in detail terms such as “profiling” and “pseudonymisation”, suggests that Summitree takes the security of user data seriously. The application provider provides detailed information about the tracking tools and service providers used, for example to ensure the technical stability of the application (mandatory) or to send push messages (optional). The provider excludes the transfer of data to third parties for commercial (financial) interests. Personal data will only be transmitted with the express consent of the user or if there is a legitimate reason in accordance with the GDPR. In short: According to the provider, consumers do not need to fear that sensitive data will fall into the hands of third parties.
Cycling – swimming – planting trees
A little less abstract and sober is the safe handling of the news feed we use. Summitree after successful registration. Here we immediately see some full real names along with a map display of a recently traveled route with start and end points. It is not uncommon that this is probably in the immediate vicinity of your place of residence. Neither when used publicly nor when used as part of an employer challenge should users share their current location and personal data so freely. We recommend using a pseudonym or limiting yourself to your first name when creating a profile to ensure a healthy level of security through anonymity. Also the optional linking of the SummitreeThe profile with your personal Instagram account needs to be carefully considered. We generally advise against publishing the distances covered with your current location as a screenshot. Fortunately, the activity display is set to “private” by default in the settings. Under the menu item “Map display” you can show and hide the exact start and end points of the completed routes with meter precision. For the sake of personal security, you should completely deactivate map screenshots for the news feed. However, this is not preset and must be done by yourself. The first challenge can then begin.
At the time of the test, it consisted of reforesting 577 square meters of forest area in one month with a team of over 1,600 participants. Alternatively or additionally, it was possible to take part in a “Moorathon” in September 2024, the aim of which was to protect 25,000 square meters of heathland. The areas protected for the benefit of the climate correspond to the sum of the sporting activities of all participants. In the case of the “Moorathon”, this meant: One kilometer of movement corresponds to one square meter of heathland protection. For a newly planted tree, however, you have to run 40 kilometers or cycle twice as far, as the news feed in the “Activity” menu item tells us. In the public version of the app, we did not have access to the company-specific challenges for employees, which the provider presents as examples on its homepage and can be activated by entering a “challenge code”.
A digital running session without obstacles
Whether in a battle with yourself or in competition with others, in the yoga studio or in the pool, with approval in the news feed or exclusion from the public – the central function of Summitree remains the same: tracking physical activities via GPS tracking or manually and thus contributing to climate protection. To this end, the provider works with various “climate partners” such as Klimahelden, Wilderness International, Acker and other companies and non-profit associations, most of which are committed to saving or restoring natural habitats. Details about this cooperation can be found here Summitree-Homepage information. On the main screens of the app you will look in vain for more information about the connection between the challenges and the effectiveness of climate protection, as well as the initiatives responsible for implementation. At least there is a link to the partner website and other web content in the settings. We did not find a table or formula according to which the units of sporting activity are converted into seedlings or heathland protection. We calculated their effectiveness ourselves using posts in the news feed with information on distance, area and quantity, as well as the sport.
Minor deficiencies in transparency and clarity Summitree But with its sophisticated tracking function it makes up for this. A tap on “Start” takes you to the map view, where you can choose a challenge, the type of CO2 saving – for example, switching from a car or bus to a bike – and a sport. There are 36 sports, fitness equipment and physically demanding activities such as gardening to choose from. If you choose an activity for which you will have to travel a more or less long distance, it is recommended to provide a location sharing that measures the duration and distance of the sporting activity. The function is comparable to that of common fitness apps. But at the end of the workout, it is not the heart rate and calories burned that are counted, but rather the number of newly planted trees and the amount of greenhouse gases saved.
We have Summitree We took the bike path to work and for a longer walk in the woods several times, and the tracking function never let us down. As already mentioned, each activity can also be entered manually in a clear way if you don’t want to share your private movement data with the app provider. Stationary sports such as going to the gym or playing table tennis have to be recorded manually anyway. If you scroll down to the bottom of the home screen, there is a button that is also bright pink. Depending on the default setting, the completed activity is only saved to the private profile or shared in the news feed, where it can be liked or commented on by other users of the app. Statistics updated in real time show you which achievements you have achieved within a challenge and how far the community of participants is from the overall goal. Of course, there are also high score lists, sorted by default according to the number of trees planted through sports.
Conclusion
We admit that we are Summitree I approached this quite critically. Although the startup from Wennigsen in Lower Saxony claims to pursue honorable goals with its combination of sports, team building and climate protection applications, experience has shown that fitness trackers, in conjunction with the disclosure of personal information, often turn out to be data octopuses and security risks. Thanks to a consumer-friendly data policy, the offer, which is free for consumers, was able to refute most of our reservations. And theoretically(!) Summitree can also be used without disclosing personal data. However, sports users who seek competition and exchange and are not so concerned about their own privacy will feel more comfortable here.