GPS tracking company Strava published an interactive map in Nov. 2017, showing where people have used fitness tracking devices. “Recent data releases emphasize the need for situational awareness when members of the military share personal information,” Manning said. The functions were designed in part to spur Strava users to measure themselves against one another, but the extent of the data publicly available surprised many users when revealed in news reports. The U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State is reviewing procedures on bases in Iraq and Syria, where some of the most readily identifiable bases exposed by the Strava data are located and where U.S. service members are still fighting remnants of the militant group. Privacy experts say companies should be more forceful in drawing users’ attention to what personal data is being shared and how.

Source: Washington Post January 29, 2018 17:48 UTC