StravaLeaks: How a running app jeopardized Emmanuel Macron's security

© Strava

The geographical position of a personality like the President of the Republic is a state secret. For security reasons, it is crucial that this information is not known to the general public, but in its latest investigation, dubbed “StravaLeaks”, the newspaper Le Monde demonstrates that it is quite possible to follow Emmanuel Macron, or at least his bodyguards.

In the first episode of this investigation (which should include 3), the French daily newspaper highlights the use of Strava, a social network widely used by athletes. The latter has made a place for itself in millions of phones, even those of the bodyguards of the President of the Republic.

It is by using this application, free and available on the App Store or the Play Store, that a team of journalists managed to follow personalities such as Emmanuel Macron, Joe Biden or even Vladimir Putin.

Bodyguards, too indiscreet

To follow the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, the team of journalists took an interest in the GSPR, the Security Group for the Presidency of the Republic. They are the ones responsible for protecting and following the president during all these trips.

By following their accounts on Strava, it is possible to know their position, and therefore, that of the president at the same time. In total, there are 12 members of the president's close guard who have active profiles on the Strava application, thus sharing their position with the whole world.

Thanks to this information, there are more than a hundred trips of presidents François Hollande and Emmanuel Macron that were followed by journalists between 2016 and 2024. If these visits, abroad or in the country, are known to the general public, other information, which was supposed to remain private, was revealed during this investigation.

Very precise information

During an official visit by the head of state to a foreign country, the general public knows that the Élysée Palace is vacant. But the exact location of the head of state remains secret. But with “StravaLeaks”, Le Monde managed to get its hands on the president's exact location during some of these trips.

This very critical piece of information must never be revealed, so much so that in 2017, when the president's precise location leaked to the press during a visit to Lille, he had to change hotels at the last minute. He will finally sleep in Roubaix.

During another state visit, this time to Lithuania, journalists from Le Monde managed, thanks to the Strava account of a member of the GSPR, to precisely locate the hotel of the President of the Republic, three days before his arrival. In all, 10 precise locations of the president were revealed by activities published on Strava.

The Élysée assures that the risks are ” very low “

In an email response to journalists from Le Monde, the Élysée assures that ” the consequences […] are very low “. In this same message, the Palace defends itself and assures that the president's place of stay is still secure and ” the risk is therefore totally non-existent.”

Le Monde also reveals that this information, in addition to undermining the security of the president, directly endangers that of the members of the GSPR and employees of the presidency, some of whom are active on Strava. To learn more about this subject, we can only encourage you to watch the full investigation by our colleagues at Le Monde, available below.

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