By browsing the public data shared by the President's security agents on the sports social network, journalists from “Le Monde” were able to track certain of the President's international trips, or even anticipate them.
A “security breach” purely human. A newspaper investigation The World reveals this Sunday October 27 the “StravaLeaks”, named after the sports application Strava, which would allow in a few clicks and anyone to track… Emmanuel Macron. Here, there is no question of hacking or theft of personal data: they are shared directly and – more or less – consciously by the security group of the Presidency of the Republic (GSPR), the close bodyguards of the leader of the State.
At least 12 members of this unit, made up of gendarmes and police officers, have published their running performances on the social network – which records sporting activities via GPS – with place of departure and place of arrival.
By comparing this data with the President's official visits abroad, journalists from Monde were able to come across more than a hundred presidential trips and the jogging of his bodyguards between 2016 and 2024 (including some of François Hollande). These diplomatic trips are anticipated by the GSPR, which goes there two or three days before the arrival of the Head of State to secure the premises, in particular the hotel where he will stay – extremely sensitive information, our colleagues remind us.
And by studying the route of their jogging on Strava, it is easy to see that their starting or ending point is a high-end hotel establishment… With this artisanal method, The World was able to identify 10 times the hotel where Emmanuel Macron stayed. Even though a functionality on the application allows you to hide the exact starting and ending point of the route.
Except that its agents only share their daily jogging online. Their last name, photo, address and sometimes even their private life are public. Some even post photos of their family. “In the wrong hands, all of these elements could be used to exert pressure” on the close guard of the tenant of the Elysée, points out the media.
Contacted by the World on this major incident which could compromise the security of the Head of State, the presidency simply responded with a succinct press release, according to which “the consequences […] linked to the use of the STRAVA application by certain members of the GSPR during their jogging are very low”.
The Elysée ensures that all the actions of the bodyguards are scrutinized, that the hotels where Emmanuel Macron stays are completely secure and that the use of social networks by agents is controlled.
Elysée staff and soldiers
Nevertheless, the research of journalists from Monde led them to eight other members of the Elysée staff – pastry chef, HR or even a cabinet member – who are also fans of running and who share their personal information on Strava. Enough to further widen the breach around Emmanuel Macron. The evening newspaper plans to publish two other episodes on this theme Monday and Tuesday, this time concerning Joe Biden then Vladimir Putin.
This is not the first time that the sports social network has been singled out for the threat it represents to the security of its users. Particularly used by the military, the application made it possible, in 2018, to reveal bases of the American army in Iraq or even French forces in Niger. The convergence towards the same central point of several joggers' journeys could also give a clue about their living quarters, again placing the joggers in a certain vulnerability.
