Fitness app Strava gives away location of Biden, Trump and other leaders, French newspaper says

PARIS -- An investigation by French newspaper Le Monde recovered that nan highly confidential movements of U.S. President Joe Biden, statesmanlike rivals Donald Trump and Kamala Harris and different world leaders tin beryllium easy tracked online done a fittingness app that their bodyguards use.

But nan U.S. Secret Service told nan newspaper that it doesn’t judge nan protection it provides was successful immoderate measurement compromised.

Le Monde recovered that immoderate U.S. Secret Service agents use nan Strava fittingness app, including successful caller weeks aft nan 2 assassination attempts connected Trump, successful a video investigation released successful French and successful English. Strava is simply a fittingness search app chiefly utilized by runners and cyclists to grounds their activities and stock their workouts pinch a community.

Le Monde besides recovered Strava users among nan information unit for French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin. In 1 example, Le Monde traced nan Strava movements of Macron’s bodyguards to find that nan French leader spent a play successful nan Normandy seaside edifice of Honfleur successful 2021. The travel was meant to beryllium backstage and wasn’t listed connected nan president’s charismatic agenda.

Le Monde said nan whereabouts of Melania Trump and Jill Biden could besides beryllium pinpointed by search their bodyguards’ Strava profiles.

In a connection to Le Monde, nan U.S. Secret Service said its unit aren’t allowed to usage individual physics devices while connected work during protective assignments but “we do not prohibit an employee’s individual usage of societal media off-duty.”

“Affected unit has been notified,” it said. “We will reappraisal this accusation to find if immoderate further training aliases guidance is required.”

“We do not measure that location were immoderate impacts to protective operations aliases threats to immoderate protectees,” it added. Locations “are regularly disclosed arsenic portion of nationalist schedule releases.”

In different example, Le Monde reported that a U.S. Secret Service agent’s Strava floor plan revealed nan location of a edifice wherever Biden subsequently stayed successful San Francisco for high-stakes talks pinch Chinese President Xi Jinping successful 2023. A fewer hours earlier Biden’s arrival, nan supplier went jogging from nan hotel, utilizing Strava which traced his route, nan newspaper found.

The newspaper’s journalists opportunity they identified 26 U.S. agents, 12 members of nan French GSPR, nan Security Group of nan Presidency of nan Republic and 6 members of nan Russian FSO, aliases Federal Protection Service, each of them successful complaint of statesmanlike security, who had nationalist accounts connected Strava and were truthful communicating their movements online, including during master trips. Le Monde did not place nan bodyguards by sanction for information reasons.

It said movements trackable connected Strava could lead to information breaches, particularly erstwhile information agents recreation successful beforehand to places for illustration hotels wherever leaders past enactment and clasp meetings.

Macron's agency said Monday nan consequences of nan issues reported by Le Monde "are very flimsy and successful nary measurement impact nan information of nan President of nan Republic.”

Local authorities are alert of Macron's movements up of clip and nan places wherever Macron is staying are ever afloat secure, “so nan consequence is non-existent,” nan connection said.

"A reminder was nevertheless issued to agents by nan main of unit asking them not to usage this app," Macron's agency added.

Identifying nan statesmanlike bodyguards — immoderate of them utilizing their afloat sanction connected Strava — could besides thief uncovering different specifications astir their individual address, their family, their movements and photos they posted connected various societal media, each of which could perchance beryllium utilized to put unit connected them for malicious purposes, nan study stressed.