Sailor’s fitness app reveals location of French warship

In early March, France deployed the Charles de Gaulle and its accompanying frigates to the Mediterranean, shortly after U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran triggered a war in West Asia.It has been in the eastern Mediterranean since March 9 as part of what President Macron has called a “purely defensive” posture to support France’s allies in the conflict.Le Monde reported on Thursday that the runner was jogging on a moving ship in the waters northwest of Cyprus on March 13, according to public information on the Strava fitness tracking app, while satellite images showed the aircraft carrier was nearby at the time. In late February, the same man ran in Copenhagen, Denmark, across a bridge in Malmö, Sweden, where the Charles de Gaulle was anchored, Strava data shows.France’s armed forces told AFP that appropriate measures would be taken if the reports were true, as members of the navy are regularly alerted to the risks of security breaches caused by the use of such apps. “The reported cases – if confirmed – are not consistent with current guidance,” the statement said.In 2024, “Le Monde” reported that bodyguards of Macron, then US President Biden and President Putin inadvertently leaked information about their whereabouts while accompanying them on their trips. In 2018, Strava maps showed the location of U.S. and allied military personnel in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan.