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Fitness-Tracking App Reveals Locations of Secret Army Bases (theguardian.com)
Coisiche shared this story from the Guardian:
Sensitive information about the location and staffing of military bases and spy outposts around the world has been revealed by a fitness tracking company. The details were released by Strava in a data visualisation map that shows all the activity tracked by users of its app, which allows people to record their exercise and share it with others. The map, released in November 2017, shows every single activity ever uploaded to Strava -- more than 3 trillion individual GPS data points, according to the company. The app can be used on various devices including smartphones and fitness trackers like Fitbit to see popular running routes in major cities, or spot individuals in more remote areas who have unusual exercise patterns.
However, over the weekend military analysts noticed that the map is also detailed enough that it potentially gives away extremely sensitive information about a subset of Strava users: military personnel on active service... In locations like Afghanistan, Djibouti and Syria, the users of Strava seem to be almost exclusively foreign military personnel, meaning that bases stand out brightly. In Helmand province, Afghanistan, for instance, the locations of forward operating bases can be clearly seen, glowing white against the black map.
One analyst analyst predicted that after this discovery, "A lot of people are going to have to sit through lectures come Monday morning."
Another military analyst told the Guardian "U.S bases are clearly identifiable" -- though he added that the map "looks very pretty."
However, over the weekend military analysts noticed that the map is also detailed enough that it potentially gives away extremely sensitive information about a subset of Strava users: military personnel on active service... In locations like Afghanistan, Djibouti and Syria, the users of Strava seem to be almost exclusively foreign military personnel, meaning that bases stand out brightly. In Helmand province, Afghanistan, for instance, the locations of forward operating bases can be clearly seen, glowing white against the black map.
One analyst analyst predicted that after this discovery, "A lot of people are going to have to sit through lectures come Monday morning."
Another military analyst told the Guardian "U.S bases are clearly identifiable" -- though he added that the map "looks very pretty."
I have never before heard of analysts being tasked with analyzing other analysts. Thank you for making me aware of this new occupational opportunity.
Cause god knows spotting a military base with a shit load of military hardware in it and a dirty great big barbwire fence is impossible without these fitness apps.
If you are in a sensitive area and you have a smart phone turned on then you aren't smart enough to be allowed in a sensitive area. If we are near people who potentially want to kill me and you turn your fucking position broadcasting device on beside me, I will turn it off after I take it off of your recently deceased body.
You've been told OVER AND OVER AGAIN that these fucking 'fitness bands' just exist to be yet another surveillance-and-data-collection device for asshole corporations to gather data on you, YET YOU BUY THEM ANYWAY! Morons, you're all FUCKING MORONS.
Not just the military. What happens when a whole bunch of vehicles start showing up at some remote skunk works site? You don't think that foreign intelligence services have advertising company fronts? They can buy phone and vehicle location data and mine it for the travel patterns of known technical experts.
Have gnu, will travel.
Ditto. In evaluating smart phone apps for diet and exercise I found that a majority of them require, as a first step to using the app, creating a personal account on a website/server. That automatically moved them to the reject pile.
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