A French naval officer went for a run on the deck of the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and uploaded his training to Strava, which accidentally revealed the location of a nuclear-powered warship bound for the Middle East.
The story, first reported by French newspaper Le Monde, is not unusual. This popular fitness tracking app has proven to be a privacy nightmare before.
By default, social fitness app accounts are set to public, and your route will be made public every time you record a workout. Strava data has traditionally been used to locate military bases around the world. In 2024, Le Monde searched the Strava account of French President Emmanuel Macron's bodyguard and located him after he uploaded public workout data while traveling with the president.
Anonymized graphic image from Le Monde showing the run in question Credit: Le Monde (Opens in new window)
The aircraft carrier's move through the Mediterranean was already known, as President Macron had publicly announced the carrier's deployment. But clearly the French army is still in serious danger if its officers telegraph their exact locations. A French military representative told Le Monde that the officer's actions “do not comply with current guidelines” and that “sailors are regularly made aware of this.”
Strava did not respond to TechCrunch's request for comment prior to publication, but let this serve as a reminder to everyone. Even if you're not in the military, it's worth setting your Strava account to private.