PARIS — An investigation by French newspaper Le Monde reveals the secret movements of U.S. President Joe Biden, his presidential rivals Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, and other world leaders through fitness apps used by his bodyguards. Turns out it’s easy to track online.
However, the U.S. Secret Intelligence Service told the newspaper that it does not believe the protections it provides have been compromised in any way.
In a video investigation published in French and English, Le Monde newspaper revealed that some U.S. Secret Service agents used the fitness app Strava, including in recent weeks after two assassination attempts on President Trump. ” was revealed to be used. Strava is a fitness tracking app primarily used by runners and cyclists to log their activities and share their workouts with the community.
Le Monde also found Strava users among the security staff of French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin. For example, Le Monde tracked the Strava movements of Macron’s bodyguards and found that the French president spent a weekend in the Normandy seaside resort of Honfleur in 2021. The trip was private and not included in the president’s official itinerary.
Le Monde reported that tracking the Strava profiles of Melania Trump and Jill Biden’s bodyguards could also reveal their whereabouts.
In a statement to Le Monde newspaper, the U.S. Secret Service said that while employees are not allowed to use personal electronic devices on duty while on duty, “off-duty social media It is not prohibited to use it for.”
“Affected staff have been notified,” it said. “We will review this information and determine whether additional training or guidance is required.”
“We do not assess that there is any impact on conservation activities or threat to protected persons,” it added. Locations “will be published periodically as part of the public release of schedules.”
As another example, Le Monde reported that a Strava profile of a U.S. Secret Service official later revealed that the hotel where Biden stayed in San Francisco for a high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2023. The location has been revealed. According to the paper, the man was jogging from his hotel using Strava, which tracks his route.
The newspaper’s reporters said they had identified 26 U.S. officials, 12 members of France’s GSPR, the security group for the president of the republic, and six members of Russia’s FSO (Federal Protection Office), all of whom are responsible for security for the president. and their public Strava accounts communicated their movements online, including while on business trips. Le Monde did not name the bodyguard for security reasons.
It said movements that can be tracked on Strava could lead to security breaches, especially if security personnel travel in advance to hotels or other locations where leaders are staying and holding meetings.
Macron’s office said on Monday that the impact of the problems reported by newspaper Le Monde was “very slight and does not in any way affect the security of the President of the Republic.”
Local authorities said in a statement that there was “no risk” as they were aware of Mr Macron’s movements and the places he stayed were always completely safe.
“Nonetheless, the chief of staff has issued a warning to staff not to use the app,” Macron’s office added.
Identifying presidential bodyguards will also help find other details that could be used to exert pressure, such as their personal addresses, family members, movements, and photos they posted on various social media sites. Possibly. The report highlighted treating them with malicious purposes.
