When they walk a red carpet, all eyes go to one person. Continue reading…

Now in its fourth season, Dutton Rules has helped a million fans understand the twists and turns of Yellowstone, 1923, 1883 and more. Continue reading…

French newspaper Le Monde conducted an investigation and claimed the movements of Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris could be easily tracked online through a fitness app used by Secret Service agents. Strava, which has over 120 million registered users, allows cyclists and runners to record their workouts online. There is also concern about soldiers sharing their physical activity on the app and endangering their mission. “In recent years, journalists and curious observers have discovered that individuals tasked with sensitive operations, particularly soldiers, have shared their physical activity on Strava, endangering their mission, their identity and even their safety,” Le Monde wrote. Strava, the exercise app filled with security holes https://t.co/5RaiizaXBr — Le Monde in English (@LeMonde_EN) October 27, 2024 Per Le Monde: The years go by, but nothing changes. The military, the bodyguards of the world’s most prominent leaders and members of the intelligence services, who are supposed to be well-versed in discretion, can’t help but share their sporting exploits with the world on the social media app Strava. An investigation by Le Monde reveals that men charged with protecting Emmanuel Macron, several US presidents and Vladimir Putin can be identified through their use of the sports-tracking app, endangering their mission and the lives of those they protect. Revelations of security flaws of this kind mark the existence of Strava, the leading app of its kind with over 125 million users. It all began in early 2018, with the app’s “activity map.” The social media, which unveiled it a few weeks earlier, shows all its users’ aggregated journeys on it: the thicker and brighter the line, the greater the number of athletes who have taken that route. In all major cities, parks and river banks shine brightly. Conversely, areas where Strava users are scarce remain dark. But when an Australian student’s curiosity leads him over the Syrian desert, he sees that there are glowing trails. The reason is simple: military personnel, generally sports enthusiasts of the app, didn’t think to protect their activity and instead posted it publicly. By aggregating anonymous data, Strava reveals the presence of military bases worldwide or, more frequently, their layout and the paths taken by military personnel in or around them. In the United States, the Pentagon claims to be taking the matter very seriously. In France, the Ministry of the Armed Forces is also tightening the screws. As for Strava, it shifts the responsibility to its users, specifying that only public activities were aggregated, but pledges to simplify privacy settings. The New York Post noted an example of the outlet determining the hotel Joe Biden was staying on his West Coast trip due to data that appeared on an agent’s Strava profile. “An agent assigned to Biden went for a jog and traced his route during the 81-year-old president’s 2023 trip to San Francisco for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping,” the outlet wrote. The Strava problem: how the fitness app was used to locate the world’s most powerful people https://t.co/aY1WkjPdRo — Guardian Australia (@GuardianAus) October 29, 2024 From the New York Post: Le Monde found that the movements of former first lady Melania Trump and first lady Jill Biden could also be tracked based on Secret Service agents using Strava. The Secret Service claims the disclosure of location information did not put protectees at any additional risk but said it is reviewing its policies. “Affected personnel has been notified,” the agency told Le Monde in a statement. “We will review this information to determine if any additional training or guidance is required.” “We do not assess that there were any impacts to protective operations or threats to any protectees,” the statement continued, noting that locations “are regularly disclosed as part of public schedule releases.” Secret Service agents are not allowed to use personal electronic devices while on duty, but the agency does not “prohibit an employee’s personal use of social media off-duty,” the agency added. In total, Le Monde found 26 Secret Service agents on Strava, sharing their movements during official business. Dozens of bodyguards for French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin were discovered on the app as well. “Three of the world’s most important leaders have been put in danger due to their security guards’ use of the sports social media app Strava. In this second episode, Le Monde reveals how the current and former US presidents’ lives are put in danger by the not-so-secret lives of Secret Service agents,” Le Monde wrote. WATCH: