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Fitness tracking app Strava has leaked the locations and movements of world leaders, including President Joe Biden, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Strava is a physical exercise tracking service and social media, allowing hikers, cyclists, runners, and more to track their expeditions and then post them for others to see.
According to French publication Le Monde, the locations of US President Joe Biden, Donald Trump, and Kamala Harris were revealed by Strava after several US Secret Service (USSS) agents used the app.
One example the French publication pointed out was a photo of four USSS agents posed in Paris. The agents were reportedly there to protect US first lady Jill Biden, who represented the US at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games.
While we know Jill Biden was there for the Olympic Games now, the photo revealed that she was in Paris without public announcement.
In another instance, the location of President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping during talks in a hotel in San Francisco was also tracked after an agent with President Biden uploaded a run from the hotel.
Le Monde also identified that French President Emmanuel Macron had been on a weekend holiday in Honfleur, a seaside resort in Normandy in 2021 after it tracked the activity of his bodyguards. This trip was not publicly disclosed.
The US Secret Service told the French publication that it did not believe that the leaks compromised the protection of the president and others affected. It also said that staff are prohibited from using personal electronic devices like mobile phones during protective assignments but that their use is allowed when off-duty.
“Affected personnel has been notified. We will review this information to determine if any additional training or guidance is required,” said the USSS.
“We do not assess that there were any impacts to protective operations or threats to any protectees,” adding that locations are “regularly disclosed as part of public schedule releases”.
Similarly, Macron’s office said that the impact of the leaks was “very slight and in no way affect the security of the president of the republic.”
Despite this, it said that the agent’s chief of staff told agents not to use Strava.
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