Fitness tracker that use GPS compile a lot of data about your social movement . Just like your smartphones and Google Maps , they recognise where you ’ve been , when , and how long you stay .
broadly , this is fine . People have fare to take that corporation have a gravid amount of data about them , and assay not to vex about it too much . It ’s not like you ’re trying to hide military enigma , after all .
hold off , some masses are really opine to hide military secrets . The military , for example . Over the weekend their data has been leaked by an unlikely source – a jogging app predict Strava .
It ’s even revealed information from within the NSA and Area 51 .
Strava has released a heat map of the world , with a whopping 13 trillion GPS locations showing where their users ( the ones that allow data - sharing ) have been .
unluckily , it seems a lot of US military personnel have not turn off data communion , lead citizenry to settle military alkali with no real sweat whatsoever .
The data can be accessed by literallyanybody with Internet . While the position of military base can be seen through Google Maps , these are often blurred out for protect classified information . Here , however , you’re able to quite clearly see human activity routes , even in places that supposedly are n’t populate .
An ex-husband - infantry officer is concerned that the data from this app seem to even show provision line .
" Big OPSEC and PERSEC conk out , " Nick Waters , who identified several military bases using the single-valued function . " Patrol path , isolated patrol base , lots of material that could be turn into actionable intelligence information . "
Others say they were capable to identify merchant vessels routes to and from military bases , and worried that if you were so inclined you could overwork super simple vulnerabilities in Strava ’s system . Simply by change the uniform resource locator , they come along to have been able to track an somebody ’s course as they go on their morning run .
Which is fine if they die off to the shop class for some Milk River , but less ok if they were pop off to a military al-Qa’ida to resupply with grenade . Even if they are n’t doing anything secret , soldiers have been using the app on a regular basis , leaving a lot of information available to potential enemies .
It ’s not just the US armed forces who fail to turn off their fitness trackers though . In the UK , faculty look to be using the app as they saunter around a atomic weapons base .
It appears this was done against the strict instructions of their employers .
One final irony shows that the app has been used on a regular basis inside the National Security Agency .
interested citizens on Twitter have highlighted the exposure of the system , but Strava has not yet taken it down . It ’s likely they ’ll be quick to take down the entropy when the humankind ’s military drawing card get in touch for a quiet confabulation .
In the meantime , if you ’re working in a potentially sensitive expanse that requires secrecy and discretion ( hello , Area 51 ) , we advise you toturn off your data instantly .
