The question is whether that should be the price for privacy though 
We all seem to like to compare Zwift to what we can do IRL when talking about features, and IRL my friends would recognize me on the street if they saw me. But IRL I can also choose to go ride somewhere where I know they won’t be, and no one is going to shoot them a text message letting them know that I’m doing it.
They’ve said elsewhere on these forums that they are currently overhauling their whole privacy setting scheme, maybe this will or could be part of it. I’ve suggested in another post the ability to ‘Ride Without’, designate a ride when you start it as one you don’t want people to join you on. This could be part of that idea. Just don’t put up any signs external to your account and external to the in world game that you’re doing the activity at all.