The movements of world leaders, including Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron, were able to be tracked online via Strava running apps used by their security detail, an investigation has claimed.
The report, by French newspaper Le Monde, claimed that several US Secret Service staff use the app and that the top-secret movements of US president Joe Biden and the candidates vying to be his successor, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, were trackable.
Strava enables runners, cyclists, and walkers to log their activities. It shows where people travel on a map and tracks stats like speed and distance. These can then be shared with other users who can offer “kudos.”
The newspaper also claimed that Strava users were among French President Emmanuel Macron’s security and even those protecting Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Le Monde said it tracked the Strava activity of Macron’s bodyguards, which revealed that he had spent a weekend in the Normandy seaside resort of Honfleur in 2021 – a private getaway not listed in his official engagements.
The investigation also suggested the movements of the First Lady, Jill Biden, and former first lady Melania Trump and could be identified via Strava profiles used by people in their security teams.
In another example, the outlet cited, it claimed to have been able to reveal the location of a hotel where Biden stayed in San Francisco for high-stakes talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping last year, using a Strava account used by an agent that tracked a jog a few hours before Biden’s arrival.
Le Monde did not disclose the names of any agents for security reasons.
The US Secret Service told the newspaper it didn’t believe the protection it provides to the Commander-in-Chief was compromised in any way.
In a statement to Le Monde, the federal agency said its staff aren’t allowed to use personal electronic devices during protective assignments but “do not prohibit an employee’s personal use of social media off-duty,” as per The Independent.
“Affected personnel has been notified. We will review this information to determine if any additional training or guidance is required,” the statement said.
“We do not assess that there were any impacts to protective operations or threats to any protectees,” it continued, explaining that locations “are regularly disclosed as part of public schedule releases”.
On Monday, Macron’s office insisted the consequences of the issues referred to in the investigation “are very slight and in no way affect the security of the president of the republic.”
However, it said a “reminder was nevertheless issued to agents by the chief of staff asking them not to use this app”.
Strava has been approached via email for a comment.
