How US Military Troops Are Exposing Sensitive Base Locations on Strava
Iran may have used the data to refine its targeting of U.S. bases, Sky News reported.
U.S. military personnel using fitness apps like Strava may have inadvertently exposed sensitive base locations to Iranian forces, according to Sky News. The Pentagon reviewed the use of such apps in 2018 due to concerns that adversaries could use the shared data to track personnel deployments and movements, known as a "pattern of life."
Despite the Pentagon banning Strava use without prior permission, Sky News found over 1,300 Strava users had shared workouts at U.S. military bases in the Middle East, often using their real names. Special operations expert Jonathan Hackett suggested lax enforcement and lack of awareness were behind the sharing of location data, which Iran could be using to track U.S. troop movements.
Research fellow Joseph Jarnecki from the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) also believes it is plausible that Iran used the data against American targets. Newsweek reached out to Strava and the Pentagon for comment, but neither responded.
Written by urgent.news from Newsweek's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
