A French newspaper reports that the fitness app Strava provides the location of Biden, Trump and other leaders

PARIS (AP) – An investigation by French newspaper Le Monde has found that the U.S. president’s movements are highly confidential Joe Bidenpresidential rivals Donald Trump AND Kamala Harrisand other world leaders can be easily tracked online via the fitness app used by their bodyguards.

However, the US Secret Service told the newspaper it did not believe the protection it provided had been compromised in any way.

Le Monde discovered that some agents of the US secret service use the Strava fitness appincluding in recent weeks two assassination attempts on Trumpin a video investigation published in French and English. Strava is a fitness tracking app used primarily by runners and cyclists to log their activities and share their workouts with the community.

“Le Monde” also found Strava users among the French president’s security staff Emmanuel Macron and president of Russia Vladimir Putin. In one example, Le Monde tracked the movements of Macron’s bodyguards on Strava and determined that the French leader spent a weekend in the seaside resort of Honfleur in Normandy in 2021. The trip was supposed to be private and was not included in the president’s official program.

Le Monde said the whereabouts of Melania Trump and Jill Biden could also be traced by following their bodyguards’ Strava profiles.

In a statement to Le Monde, the US Secret Service said its employees are prohibited from using personal electronic devices while on duty, but “we do not prohibit employees from using social media for personal purposes off-duty.”

“The personnel concerned have been notified,” it said. “We will review this information to determine whether additional training or guidance is required.”

“We do not assess whether there was any impact on conservation efforts or whether there were risks to any protected persons,” he added. Locations “are regularly disclosed through public schedule releases.”

In another example, Le Monde reported that a US Secret Service agent’s Strava profile revealed the location of the hotel where Biden subsequently stayed in San Francisco for high-stakes talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2023. A few hours before Biden’s arrival, the agent left the hotel for a run, using Strava, which tracked his route, the newspaper said.

The newspaper’s journalists claim to have identified 26 American agents, 12 members of the French GSPR, the Security Group of the Presidency of the Republic, and six members of the Russian FSO, or Federal Protective Service, all responsible for the president’s security, who had public accounts on Strava and therefore communicated on the Internet about your movements, including during business trips. For security reasons, Le Monde did not provide the names of the security guards.

It said movements trackable on Strava could lead to security breaches, especially when security agents travel in advance to places such as hotels where leaders then stay and hold meetings.

Macron’s office said on Monday that the consequences of the problems reported by Le Monde “are very minor and do not in any way affect the security of the President of the Republic.”

Local authorities are aware of Macron’s moves in advance and the places where Macron stays are always completely secure, “so there is no risk,” the statement said.

“Despite this, the chief of staff sent a reminder to agents asking them not to use this application,” Macron’s office added.

Harris’ campaign deferred comment on the security issue to federal officials. In response to questions from the Trump campaign, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee repeated some of its criticisms of the Biden administration, but did not address the gap or the campaign’s response.

According to Ibrahim Baggili, a computer scientist and professor of cybersecurity at Louisiana State University, the security threats associated with fitness apps point to the need for better regulations on how tech companies can use consumer data.

Baggili’s research revealed how criminals can use data from fitness apps to track potential victims, creating a risk of stalking, robbery and other crimes.

Consumers often grant app developers the right to use or sell their data if they agree to terms of service, Baggili said.

“Companies love our data and we love this product, so we’re giving it away for free,” he said. “The government really needs to start thinking about how data can be used and how long it can be kept.”

Identifying the president’s bodyguards – some of whom use their full names on Strava – could also help find other details about their personal addresses, families, movements and photos they have posted on various social media, all of which could possibly be used to the report highlights that they are putting pressure on them for evil purposes.

___

AP reporter David Klepper reported from Washington.