A French Navy officer accidentally leaked the location of an aircraft carrier by logging his run on Strava | TechCrunch

Last day to exhibit your breakthrough to 10,000+ tech leaders at Disrupt is on Oct 2. Book Exhibit Table Now. Disrupt doors open Oct. 13. Get your pass and bring someone with you at 50% off. REGISTER NOW. A French Navy officer went for a run on the deck of the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier and uploaded his workout to Strava, inadvertently leaking the location of the nuclear-powered warship as it heads to the Middle East. First reported by French newspaper Le Monde, the story is not an anomaly — this popular fitness tracking app has proven to be a privacy nightmare before. By default, accounts on the social fitness app are set to public, publishing your route any time you log a workout. Strava data has previously been used to locate military bases around the world. In 2024, Le Monde uncovered French President Emmanuel Macron’s whereabouts by searching for the Strava accounts of his bodyguards, who uploaded public workout data while traveling with him. Macron had publicly announced the carrier’s deployment, so its movement through the Mediterranean was already known. But obviously, the French military is still put at serious risk when an officer telegraphs its precise location.