{"id":68679,"date":"2018-01-29T13:25:04","date_gmt":"2018-01-29T13:25:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/01\/29\/dod-reviewing-stravas-global-heat-map\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T13:10:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T13:10:23","slug":"dod-reviewing-stravas-global-heat-map","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/01\/29\/dod-reviewing-stravas-global-heat-map\/","title":{"rendered":"Mattis orders review of how troops use Fitbits, other fitness apps following breach"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has directed a DoD-wide review of fitness app use policies following the news this weekend that an app used by troops revealed sensitive military information<\/a>, the Pentagon said Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSecretary Mattis has been very clear about not highlighting our capabilities to aid the enemy or give the enemy any advantage,\u201d said Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Rob Manning. \u201cThe secretary is aware [of the breach] and we are taking a look at our department-wide policies to determine if [they] need to be updated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manning could not specify who was going to lead the review or whether it would result in a formal report. He said the review would look at whether DoD needed additional policies regulating wearable fitness trackers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manning said additional policies could include new limitations on any kind of wearable device that trackers user locations, to include smart phones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manning said the Pentagon became aware of the breach over the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recent release of a global heat map<\/a> by GPS tracking app Strava sources the data from users\u2019 smartphones and watches to produce an overlay of popular running paths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naturally, secure military facilities and outposts downrange are lit up with trails of activity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[The] DoD takes matters like these very seriously and is reviewing the situation to determine if any additional training or guidance is required, and if any additional policy must be developed to ensure the continued safety of DoD personnel at home and abroad,\u201d Maj. Audricia Harris, a Pentagon press official, said in a statement to Military Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Harris reiterated that the military does currently have policies in place that are supposed to guide members\u2019 actions at home and overseas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnnual training for all DoD personnel recommends limiting public profiles on the internet, including personal social media accounts,\u201d Harris said. \u201cFurthermore, operational security requirements provide further guidance for military personnel supporting operations around the world. Recent data releases emphasize the need for situational awareness when members of the military share personal information.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of those operational security requirements focus on controlling the flow of information to open-source, or publicly available, media. Some common choke points the military has historically worked around include social media, newspapers, academic journals and GPS mapping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strava\u2019s recent map seems to fall into that category. The app has been available for several years, but the recent buzz focuses on the expansion that occurred relatively recently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am happy to announce our first major update to the global heatmap on Strava Labs since 2015,\u201d Drew Robb, a data engineer at Strava, posted on the group\u2019s Medium page in November<\/a>. \u201cThis update includes six times more data than before \u2014 in total one billion activities from all Strava data through September 2017.\u201d
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