Tech

The app that exposed the location of military bases with a heat map is reviewing its features

Key Points
  • Strava Chief Executive James Quarles said that the company was "committed to working with military and government officials to address potentially sensitive data."
  • The firm's heat map revealed the movements of service personnel using the app and additional information about how frequently they were moving.
A screenshot of the Strava heat map, which the company said comprised one billion recorded activities on its platform.
Source: Strava

Strava, the fitness app that exposed the locations and activities of soldiers at U.S. military bases, is reviewing its features to prevent them from being compromised for malicious purposes.

The app, which calls itself a "social network for athletes," lets users connect a GPS device to the service so that they can upload their workout logs online. This, in turn, revealed the movements of service personnel using the app and additional information about how frequently they were moving.

Strava Chief Executive James Quarles said that the company was "committed to working with military and government officials to address potentially sensitive data." He added that Strava's engineering and user experience teams were "simplifying" its privacy and safety features to inform users about how they can control their data.

"Many team members at Strava and in our community, including me, have family members in the armed forces," Quarles said in an open letter Monday.

"Please know that we are taking this matter seriously and understand our responsibility related to the data you share with us."

Quarles also emphasized that users could find existing details on how to manage their privacy on Strava's website.

A U.S. military spokesperson told the Washington Post on Monday that it was revising its guidelines on the use of wireless devices on military facilities.

- CNBC's Saheli Roy Choudhury contributed to this report.