App Reportedly Putting American Soldiers In Danger, Accidentally Revealed Secret U.S. Military Bases

Modern technology has made certain apps necessary for a lot of people, especially those who use them for work. Others use apps to keep track of their fitness goals and apparently, one such service ended up revealing secret military bases maintained by the U.S. in some parts of the world. The details could even include specifics such as the names of the soldiers in those bases.

The app, in question, is called Strava, and it’s basically a resource for athletes or just active people to upload their data to and compare with others. It’s usually a great way to encourage healthy competition or just get a reliable point of comparison to see how much more someone can improve. According to military analysts who spoke to The Guardian, however, the app gives away sensitive information as well.

The problem actually stems from a new feature of the app called Global Heatmap, which provides users with a view of where the most concentrated areas of active people are. According to Nathan Ruser, a military analyst, this could be a problem for soldiers who use the app.

“If soldiers use the app like normal people do, by turning it on tracking when they go to do exercise, it could be especially dangerous,” Ruser said. “U.S. bases are clearly identifiable and mappable.”

A lot of this is due to the fact that in some areas of the world, much of the region has an internet blackout. This makes heat dots in such places hard to miss and marks them as potential military outfits.

Strava has since responded to the issue, saying that the feature could be turned on and off at its users’ discretion. The developers even shared details on how to better protect the privacy of users. Unfortunately, some people have already made the thoughtless choice to post potential military bases on social media, The National reports.