Strava is a popular fitness tracking app. It uses GPS to map the movements of users on something they call “The Global Heat Map.” Strava is great for runners who want to keep up with the mileage and speed, but it lately, the app is mapping out military bases and giving away the positions of soldiers.

The app does not show real time, but instead, it shows user activity over a two-year period. In places like Afghanistan, American Soldiers are the primary users of the app, so once zoomed in, the locations and details of known military bases are revealed. This could be a major problem for our military as it could provide information to someone who wants to attack our troops.

Will Spiegel, a Bob Jones senior and future marine, said, “I disagree with apps like this that give away your information publicly, so I think that the solution to this problem is just common sense. People should not allow their information to be open to the public like this especially military personnel.”

Many people who use this app do not understand what the app is doing with their information. People who casually use this app do not realize that their data is being broadcasted publicly, and they do not know how to properly protect it. Some of the soldiers may not be intentionally broadcasting their location, but it is happening.

The Department of Defense is considering training soldiers to combat this issue in hopes that if they are trained on information security and then restricted from use of any apps that gather GPS data, then things like this would not be a problem. According to NBC News the Department Of Defence is taking this very seriously. They are currently reviewing the situation to determine if any additional training of the soldiers is required.