The movements of world leaders, from U.S. President Joseph Biden to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, can reportedly be tracked online via the fitness app “Strava,” used by their bodyguards, revealed French newspaper Le Monde.
According to the French newspaper’s investigation, certain security agents protecting the presidents of Russia, France, and the U.S. use the Strava fitness app, which boasts 125 million users, primarily runners and cyclists who record their activities and share information within groups.
Le Monde journalists identified six employees of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) responsible for Putin’s security who maintain public accounts on Strava. Their movements, including during professional trips, could be tracked online.
Even more bodyguards from the French presidential security service (12 individuals) and the U.S. Secret Service (26) reportedly use the app, according to Le Monde.
In addition to Biden, U.S. agents whose movements can be tracked also protect his wife, Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Donald Trump, and Trump’s wife Melania.
In one instance, journalists used a Secret Service agent’s profile to identify a hotel in San Francisco where Biden was set to stay ahead of key negotiations with Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2023.
Just hours before Biden’s arrival, the agent went for a run, and his route was visible on the Strava app, reported Tanjug.
FOLLOW US FOR MORE:
This is not the first time technology used by bodyguards has allowed tracking of those they protect.
As former Wall Street Journal reporter Byron Tau described in his book Tools of Control: How the Hidden Alliance of Technology and Power Is Creating a New American Police State, U.S. intelligence agencies have learned to track Putin’s movements.
They utilized a program developed by a Pentagon contractor for $600,000, enabling them to locate smartphone owners through targeted advertising.
Since Putin does not use a smartphone, U.S. agencies tracked the phones of individuals in his entourage who were tasked with ensuring the president’s security.
READ MORE:
SERBIAN GENERAL HONORED IN CANADA: A Mountain Named After Our Hero of World War I! (PHOTO)
Source: Politika
Photo: EPA-EFE / Dmitri Lovetsky