A French investigation by Le Monde has revealed that bodyguards’ use of the Strava fitness app may expose the locations of world leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Strava’s data-sharing features, widely used by athletes, have raised security concerns after it was discovered that high-profile movements could be tracked through the app’s public posts.
The report identified bodyguards for Biden, Trump, and other leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron, as Strava users with public profiles that reveal exercise routes and, inadvertently, their locations. In one example, Macron’s 2021 visit to a Normandy resort was deduced by tracing Strava posts from his security team, despite the trip being unofficial.
The U.S. Secret Service responded to the report, noting that their agents are alerted to avoid revealing sensitive data but that off-duty personal device use is not strictly regulated. The Secret Service stated there was no risk to protective operations, though the findings have raised calls for stricter control over public data exposure.
Cybersecurity expert Ibrahim Baggili, a professor at Louisiana State University, highlighted the risks associated with open-access data, noting that app data could be exploited by criminals to locate individuals, making it necessary for stronger regulatory frameworks around data use. As Baggili explained, users unknowingly grant developers permission to use personal data for various purposes, increasing privacy risks.
The investigation points to a broader need for regulatory reform on data-sharing, as leaders’ private schedules and security details may be inadvertently exposed through fitness apps, heightening concerns over digital privacy in sensitive contexts.
