Privacy, Application security

Global leaders’ locations reportedly exposed by Strava fitness app

Share
President Biden speaks during a press conference

President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Russian President Vladimir Putin had their confidential whereabouts reportedly exposed by their bodyguards' activity on the fitness tracking app Strava, according to The Associated Press.

Aside from shedding light on the location of a hotel where Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks last year, bodyguards' Strava profiles also leaked the highly confidential movements of Jill Biden and Melania Trump, noted an investigation by French newspaper Le Monde, which discovered 44 public accounts among individuals involved in presidential security, more than half of which were in the U.S. Evaluation of Le Monde's findings is already being conducted by the U.S. Secret Service, which downplayed their potential impact as it emphasized prohibiting personal electronic device usage among on-duty staff. "We do not assess that there were any impacts to protective operations or threats to any protectees," said the Secret Service. Meanwhile, Louisiana State University cybersecurity professor Ibrahim Baggili noted that the development should prompt more stringent data regulations.

An In-Depth Guide to Application Security

Get essential knowledge and practical strategies to fortify your applications.

Get daily email updates

SC Media's daily must-read of the most current and pressing daily news

By clicking the Subscribe button below, you agree to SC Media Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.