US service members still sharing fitness app data, analysts warn of operational risk

More than 1,300 users of the fitness tracking app Strava have been identified sharing workout data from inside US military bases, according to a Sky News analysis, despite a longstanding Pentagon ban on unauthorized use of such platforms. The Department of Defense prohibited the use of fitness applications without prior approval roughly eight years ago. Restrictions were tightened after the app's 2018 data was found to expose the daily routines of service members, but enforcement has been inconsistent, the analysis said. Many of the users identified are sharing under their real names, making it easier to pinpoint where personnel are based and how they move. Special operations specialist Jonathan Hackett said the continued data sharing points to a lack of compliance and awareness among troops. Open-source intelligence analyst Joseph Garnicki noted that the publicly available information could be combined with other intelligence to support operational targeting.