Data security

Security threat? Fitness devices could give away locations of soldiers

An interactive map tracking the location and activities of people using fitness devices like Fitbit has raised concerns about the security of soldiers and civilians at U.S. military bases around the world, The Washington Post reported Sunday.

The Global Heat Map, published by the GPS tracking company Strava, uses satellite information to map the locations and movements of subscribers to the company's fitness service by illuminating areas of activity.

The map shows a great deal of activity in the U.S. and Europe. But in war zones and deserts in countries such as Iraq and Syria, the heat map becomes almost entirely dark -- except for scattered evidence of activity.

A closer look at those areas brings into focus the locations and outlines of well-known U.S. military bases, as well as other lesser-known and potentially sensitive sites -- possibly because American soldiers and other personnel are using fitness trackers as they move around.

The map is not live, but shows a pattern of accumulated activity between 2015 and September 2017.