đź›° Tracking world leaders through a sports app
From Trump to Putin, including Macron
An in-depth investigation by Le Monde revealed that Strava data could be used to track the movements of leaders thanks to their bodyguards
Le Monde has identified 26 American security agents who had been clocking miles while attending official work trips, VELO reports
Twelve members of France's Presidential Security Group and six members of Russia's Federal Protection Service were also identified by the paper as regular Strava users. The French outlet dug so deep into its "Strava Leaks" series that it was even able to pinpoint where Macron went on holiday in 2021. Something that can happen not only to the president, but also to "first ladies."
“The affected personnel have been informed,” the service told Le Monde. “We will review this information to determine whether any additional training or guidance is required. We do not assess that there has been any impact on protection operations or threats to any protected person.”
In 2017, the platform published global “heat maps” highlighting all of its users’ favorite routes. These included “heat trails” left by personnel training outside military bases in Afghanistan, Djibouti and Syria.
Something similar happened in 2022, when Strava detectives identified and tracked security personnel working from bases in Israel.
Users can set their activities to “private” and thus remove their workouts from public information.
However, “private” activities are still added by Strava to its “community-powered features,” including its global heatmaps.
The popular fitness app has recently launched a new feature designed to encourage users to be more aware of their personal safety. With a quick click, you can make your routes private, and while it takes one more click, you can also hide them from global heat maps.