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

[DonViejo]

Source: The Washington Post

A portion of the Strava Labs heat map from Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan, made by tracking activities. (Screenshot)

By Liz Sly January 28 at 4:00 PM

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 location 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 location and movements of subscribers to the company’s fitness service over a two-year period, by illuminating areas of activity.

Strava says it has 27 million users around the world, including people who own widely available fitness devices such as Fitbit, Jawbone and Vitofit, as well as people who directly subscribe to its mobile phone application. The map is not live – rather it shows a pattern of accumulated activity between 2015 and September last year.

Most parts of the United States and Europe, where millions of people use some form of fitness tracker, show up on the map as a blaze of light, because there is so much activity.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/a-map-showing-the-users-of-fitness-devices-lets-the-world-see-where-us-soldiers-are-and-what-they-are-doing/2018/01/28/86915662-0441-11e8-aa61-f3391373867e_story.html

[Kali]

1. Interesting!

And yet another reason to avoid crap like that and stay with my little stupidphone.

[7962]

4. Exactly nt

[lagomorph777]

11. I wish I could use a flip phone but they don't seem to work worth a damn anymore.

Tried a few of them lately and none had reasonable reception.

[Kali]

12. Verizon

and three of us have three versions of Samsung's Convoy flip phones. The earlier versions were more rugged but they all work pretty good around here.

[lagomorph777]

13. Interesting; thanks.

I am on a different carrier; maybe my carrier is the problem.

[Kali]

14. certainly could be

my sister is on t-mobile (I think) and I know she gets worse reception than me in some areas
verizon is supposed to have the best coverage, I know back in the 90s whatever it was called at the time, it was the ONLY service we could get out here.

[Aristus]

2. The times have really changed.

Summer of 1991, I had just graduated from the Third Infantry Division's NCO Academy, and I was enjoying the balmy days of summer in Germany. After being released from duty every day, I would change into jogging shorts and run from the back entrance of our barracks out to the north gate of post (Harvey Barracks, Kitzingen). Then I would turn around and run a circuitous course out to the south entrance, and then back to my barracks building.

A run that took around 45 minutes. Kept me in shape and gave me a good tan. Also allowed me to enjoy the breathtaking landscapes of Upper Franconia in the summertime.

We didn't have GPS-capable fitness devices back then, and I never wear one to this day. But it's dismaying to know that a pleasure as simple as an afternoon fitness run can have national security implications.

[James48]

8. Rock of the Marne to you!

Lived on Leighton Barracks 83-87.
Loved Germany- did the 3id PLDC academy in Kitzingen also.

[Aristus]

9. I'm just a dog-faced soldier...

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Also available: North Korea, Turkish-Syrian border, disputed South China Sea islands

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

https://www.balloon-juice.com/2018/01/28/too-much-information/

[erronis]

5. The wonder "Internet of Things" (IoT)

While authoritarian regimes will try to limit exposure of the minions to tracking devices, they will still stroll around with their cell phones, their pages, their automobiles, their lieutenants and mistresses - all packing tracking.

Just as a guess, in my home I have 15-20 known internet-connected devices including modems/routers. My scales wants to talk to my fitbit (which I threw away). My car wants to talk to its manufacturer/dealer.

All new consumer products will search out internet access points, and will frequently be successful without any type of authentication.

I carry a traffic transponder which is read when I go through toll booths or just whenever ICE/DHS/USSR decides they want to know. It's so easy to set up a rogue reader anywhere including in federal building entrances.

My passport broadcasts who I am. So does my driver's license.

My bank account, purchases, employment, friends, lovers, haters are all known or knowable.

Is it inevitable? I don't think so. I think we can find ways to fool and foil the PTB.

[Xipe Totec]

6. Time to strap some Fitbits on a bunch of squirrels and gophers. nt

[keithbvadu2]

7. such a handy little device with a useful purpose,,,,, 'harmless' of course

such a handy little device with a useful purpose,,,,, 'harmless' of course

[IronLionZion]

10. This is why I don't jog

Seriously, they tell troops to turn off GPS from cell phones. How did they miss the fitness trackers?

[xor]

16. When the whole Ukraine thing was big, I recall reading stories of Russian soldiers having

similar problems with their GPS tagged photos. Supposedly not there, but the location information on the photos said otherwise.

Seems like a pretty difficult thing to fully control given how easy it is to overlook that your GPS was reenabled when you restarted. Same thing with all the other GPS-enabled devices like fitbits.

[EX500rider]

15. Looks like Kandahar Airfield has gotten bigger since I was there.

Used to be the base was all on one side of the airfield (c2005), looks like it has grown to both sides.