[Peace-discuss] Here's a kind of howler of the age of information-gathering and surveillance.

[Karen Aram]

TOM DISPATCH:


Here's a kind of howler of the age of information-gathering and surveillance. Running around secret military bases with your Fitbit on now allows others out here to locate those bases from Afghanistan to god knows where. No more secrets on this Fitbitted planet of ours. Tom

"Sensitive information about the location and staffing of military bases and spy outposts around the world has been revealed by a fitness tracking company.

"The details were released by Strava in a data visualisation map that shows all the activity tracked by users of its app, which allows people to record their exercise and share it with others.

"The map, released in November 2017, shows every single activity ever uploaded to Strava – more than 3 trillion individual GPS data points, according to the company. The app can be used on various devices including smartphones and fitness trackers like Fitbit to see popular running routes in major cities, or spot individuals in more remote areas who have unusual exercise patterns.

"However, over the weekend military analysts noticed that the map is also detailed enough that it potentially gives away extremely sensitive information about a subset of Strava users: military personnel on active service.

"Nathan Ruser, an analyst with the Institute for United Conflict Analysts, first noted the lapse. The heatmap “looks very pretty” he wrote, but is “not amazing for Op-Sec” – short for operational security. “US Bases are clearly identifiable and mappable.”

“If soldiers use the app like normal people do, by turning it on tracking when they go to do exercise, it could be especially dangerous,” Ruser added, highlighting one particular track that “looks like it logs a regular jogging route.”

“In Syria, known coalition (ie US) bases light up the night,” writes analyst Tobias Schneider. “Some light markers over known Russian positions, no notable colouring for Iranian bases … A lot of people are going to have to sit through lectures come Monday morning.”

"In locations like Afghanistan, Djibouti and Syria, the users of Strava seem to be almost exclusively foreign military personnel, meaning that bases stand out brightly. In Helmand province, Afghanistan, for instance, the locations of forward operating bases can be clearly seen, glowing white against the black map.

"Zooming in on one of the larger bases clearly reveals its internal layout, as mapped out by the tracked jogging routes of numerous soldiers. The base itself is not visible on the satellite views of commercial providers such as Google Maps or Apple’s Maps, yet it can be clearly seen through Strava...."

https://www.theguardian.com/…/fitness-tracking-app-gives-aw…<https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2018%2Fjan%2F28%2Ffitness-tracking-app-gives-away-location-of-secret-us-army-bases&h=ATPBJIniCX8oM21cYyjKU9uBRB9u2-Lo1_ECkxo1wzSFxYM8pUzSEsKtYGoENs3WNTxq04sOHDgYHzRZt50JPvOfkSW1D04XCeoHgBkvLLErBppzWpHTFH-CGibSbnY5fsPpwDB7ZAMsNZ2axkz3yX4T9mqEdhusIsGgPiq5tkD1Mu8ezPzeJvfnGAzzlYr45dYqVbvJdKXbx18NpuUd2PAahD3vOnKoW-fXcPuNOZQLyKnidbyQcHEBaDqJHXfR4jYL66BDPLn6NfbxSQYgqlxKdmukwrOzX13Jlmz1Fdc_F6HDV-n-sCoZ0g>
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