Bodyguards seeking fitness through runs, cycling, and other activities have unintentionally compromised the privacy and security of Sweden's highest leaders by sharing their workout routes on the fitness app Strava. A Swedish newspaper's investigation found that these bodyguards, assigned to protect Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and the royal family, disclosed their movements, leading to growing concerns about data security among political and security circles.
The app, which allows users to share workout routes, has become a hub for fitness enthusiasts but raises potential data privacy issues, particularly for those in security roles. Over the past year, the newspaper Dagens Nyheter tracked over 1,400 workouts by seven bodyguards, revealing training sessions conducted in various locations including the Alps, alongside Ukraine's border and even in Mali.
Alarmingly, the bodyguards’ Strava uploads inadvertently revealed the prime minister’s private residence and highlighted his personal travel routes, including a trip taken with his wife in October. Despite being an avid runner who refrains from sharing his own data on the app, the location of Kristersson’s preferred running paths was easily inferred from the workouts of his protective detail.
Beyond the prime minister's information, the security breach also exposed a previously unannounced meeting in Norway last June between Kristersson and his counterparts from Norway and Finland, raising additional security alarm bells. Moreover, the movements of the Swedish royal family and opposition leader Jimmie Akesson were also compromised when a bodyguard's run in Tel Aviv matched Akesson's secret visit to Israel.
In light of these breaches, Sweden's security police confirmed the bodyguards are affiliated with the secret service but declined to comment further on the implications for national security. The reliance on fitness technology in sensitive contexts thus underscores the need for heightened awareness and caution among individuals in protective roles.
