An investigation by the French newspaper Le Monde has revealed that confidential movements of President Biden, former President Trump, Vice President Harris, and other world leaders could potentially be easily tracked online through fitness apps used by their security personnel.
However, the Secret Service in the United States has stated that they do not believe this would affect the protection work of these officials.
Strava is a fitness application mainly used by runners and cyclists to track their activities and share their fitness journeys with the community.
The investigation by Le Monde found that even after two assassination attempts on Trump, some Secret Service agents in the U.S. continue to use Strava, potentially leaking the itineraries of the individuals they are tasked to protect.
Moreover, Le Monde also identified Strava users among the security personnel of French President Macron and Russian President Putin.
During their investigation, Le Monde attempted to track the Strava of one of Macron’s bodyguards and confirmed that the French leader had taken a private weekend trip to the seaside resort of Honfleur in Normandy in 2021. This trip was not a part of Macron’s official schedule.
The article revealed that the travel itineraries of former First Lady Melania Trump and current First Lady Jill Biden could also be determined by tracking the Strava of their security personnel.
The Secret Service provided a statement to Le Monde, stating that their staff are not allowed to use personal electronic devices while on protection missions. However, the agency does not prohibit employees from using social media in their private time.
“We have notified the affected individuals,” the statement said. “We will review this information to determine if any additional training or guidance is needed.”
The Secret Service also added that they do not believe protection operations will be affected, as the itineraries of protected targets are regularly made public in the form of official schedules.
In another instance, Le Monde traced a Strava user from the Secret Service to determine the location of the hotel where Biden stayed during a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in 2023.
The report identified a total of 26 U.S. Secret Service agents, 12 members of the French Presidential Security Group (GSPR), and 6 members of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSO) responsible for maintaining the security of leaders.
For security reasons, Le Monde did not disclose the names of these bodyguards.
Le Monde suggests that leaking movements through Strava could lead to security vulnerabilities, especially when security personnel arrive early at hotels or meeting venues of leaders.
Some security personnel using their real names on Strava could also expose details like their home addresses, family members, and other information posted on various social media platforms, making them vulnerable to malicious intent.
The French President’s office stated that the consequences of Strava are “very minor and will not affect the security of the Republic President.”
Local authorities are said to be aware of Macron’s movements in advance, and the places where he stays are always completely secure.
“However, the Chief of Staff has reminded the agents not to use this app,” the Macron office added.
The Harris team did not provide immediate comments on the issue.
When asked about the matter, a spokesperson from the Republican National Committee repeated some criticisms of the Biden administration but did not mention the loophole or how the campaign team responded.
Ibrahim Baggili, a computer scientist and cybersecurity professor at Louisiana State University, expressed that the security risks associated with fitness apps show the need for better regulation on how tech companies utilize consumer data.
(This article references related reports from the Associated Press)