Some of the world’s most famous people, including Joe Biden, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, have their secret movements tracked through fitness apps.
A bombshell investigation has revealed that the bodyguards of some world leaders use Strava, with their private travel and hotel stays tracked via Strava.
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President Donald Trump, longtime bodyguard Keith Schiller and two Secret Service agents Credit: AP
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Joe Biden was followed by one of the security guards Credit: Rex
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French President Emmanuel Macron being guided by security guardsCredit: AFP
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Stava is a popular app for tracking physical activity among fitness enthusiastsCredit: Getty
An investigation by French newspaper Le Monde claims that dozens of agents are using the fitness app Strava, which has revealed the secret movements of world leaders.
Stava is a popular app among fitness enthusiasts who enjoy tracking their runs and bike rides.
This app allows users to record their physical activity and share it with friends, family, and anyone else depending on their privacy settings.
The report threatens the safety of Mr. Biden and his presidential rivals, Mr. Trump and Kamala Harris, as well as French President Emmanuel Macron’s team and President Vladimir Putin’s team.
In one example, Le Monde was able to track the Strava activity of Macron’s bodyguards, revealing that the French president spent a weekend at a seaside resort in Normandy in 2021.
This was a personal trip and was not published in his official schedule.
Meanwhile, the locations of former first lady Melania Trump and first lady Jill Biden were determined by monitoring their Strava security profiles.
However, the U.S. Secret Intelligence Service suggested the claims were unfounded and told the newspaper it did not believe the protections it provided were in any way violated.
Le Monde was also able to access the agent’s Strava profile and reveal the hotel where Biden was staying in San Francisco for a tense meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2023.
The newspaper was able to see agents jogging from the hotel just hours before Biden arrived, using Strava to track his route.
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A shocking 26 US agents were identified, as well as 12 members of the French Presidency Security Group and six members of the Russian Federal Protection Service.
They had public accounts and shared their movements online, even while traveling for work, the paper alleges.
In a statement to Le Monde newspaper, the U.S. Secret Intelligence Service said its personnel are not allowed to use personal electronic devices while on duty during protection missions.
Nevertheless, it said “personal use of social media by employees outside of working hours” is not prohibited.
It added: “The affected staff have been notified.
“We will review this information and determine whether additional training or guidance is required.
“We do not assess that there was any impact on protection activities or threat to protected persons.”
Macron’s office gave a similar response, suggesting that the impact of the problems reported by Le Monde newspaper was “very slight and does not affect the president’s security in any way.”
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Russian President Vladimir Putin surrounded by bodyguards Credit: Getty
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Donald Trump listens to Oval Office Operations Director Keith Schiller at the White House Credit: AFP or licensor
The statement said there was “no risk” as local authorities were aware of the French president’s movements in advance and his accommodations were completely safe at all times.
“Nonetheless, his chief of staff has issued a warning to staff not to use the app,” Macron’s office added.
Le Monde did not name the bodyguard for security reasons.
Now, experts say the security risks associated with fitness apps show the need for better regulation of how tech companies use consumer data.
Research conducted by Louisiana State University computer scientist and cybersecurity professor Ibrahim Baggili reveals how fitness app data can be used by malicious actors to track potential victims It has become.
This can put you at risk for serious crimes such as stalking and robbery.
Professor Baggili said: “When consumers agree to terms of service, they often give app developers the right to use or sell their data.
“Companies love our data and we love our product, so we give it away for free.
“The government needs to start seriously cracking down on how data is used and how long it is stored.”
Identifying some of the presidential bodyguards by their full names on Strava can also help you find other details about them.
These can include a person’s address, family, movements, photos on social media, etc., all of which can be used to exert pressure for malicious purposes, the report says. Emphasized.
A Strava spokesperson told The Sun: “Strava allows people to understand, visualize and share their physical activity in the real world.
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“As a result, we treat your privacy settings carefully throughout your experience. Location data is only used with explicit opt-in, is displayed prominently in each Strava activity, and can be easily changed in your settings. can.”
“To highlight our commitment in this area, we launched five additional privacy features and improvements in the last year alone.
“While our platform is built for everyone, we expect people in sensitive professions to take advantage of the controls available to them and limit content as appropriate.”
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Le Monde claims that some of the locations of world leaders are tracked on Strava Credit: Strava
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