Strave Released Heatmap that Revealed Military Bases
Recent reports have revealed that Strava's plan to showcase the abilities of its fitness app may have backfired as the heatmap that was released ended up revealing sensitive locations, such as military base stationed in other countries. In light of the turn of events, Strava's chief executive officer James Quarles has released a statement on the matter.
"Our heatmap provides a visualization of activities around the world, and many of you use it to find places to be active in your hometown or when you travel," said Quarles in a statement. "In building it, we respected activity and profile privacy selections, including the ability to opt out of heatmaps altogether. However, we learned over the weekend that Strava members in the military, humanitarian workers and others living abroad may have shared their location in areas without other activity density and, in doing so, inadvertently increased awareness of sensitive locations."
Further reports reveal that the issue was brought to life by a university student, who is specifically studying international security. The problem with the heatmap that Strava released was that it revealed the locations that most of the soldiers using the app were frequenting. The student also revealed that doing so is dangerous, especially considering how the heatmap is specifically detecting the physical activities of the soldiers. As such, revealing it would let people with bad intentions know the usual jogging route that they take, which could put them in immediate danger.
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As a result of the revelations, Strava has revealed that they will be reviewing the capabilities of the app itself. As to what this could mean, users will have to wait and see. Regardless, there is a possibility that Strava might have to highlight a different feature. More information is expected to be released in the coming months. Fans are advised to stay tuned for more updates.
