Democracy Dies in Darkness

U.S. soldiers are revealing sensitive and dangerous information by jogging

January 29, 2018 at 5:22 a.m. EST
GPS tracking company Strava published an interactive map in Nov. 2017, showing where people have used fitness tracking devices. (Video: Patrick Martin/The Washington Post)

BEIRUT — An interactive map posted on the Internet that shows the whereabouts of people who use fitness devices such as Fitbit also reveals highly sensitive information about the locations and activities of soldiers at U.S. military bases, in what appears to be a major security oversight.

The Global Heat Map, published by the GPS tracking company Strava, uses satellite information to map the locations and movements of subscribers to the company's fitness service over a two-year period, by illuminating areas of activity.