A French sailor reportedly logged a 4.3-mile run on the deck of the Charles de Gaulle on March 13—but when his smartwatch uploaded the route to his Strava fitness app, it effectively pinpointed the aircraft carrier's position in the eastern Mediterranean in near real time, the Telegraph reports, citing Le Monde. The ship had been rerouted from North Atlantic exercises and sent toward the region earlier this month as tensions between the US and Iran rose. The Charles de Gaulle—France's naval flagship and the only active nuclear-powered aircraft carrier other than those under the US military's purview—was deployed with escorts after US-Israeli strikes at the end of February, with President Emmanuel Macron visiting the vessel four days before the sailor's fateful run.
While the 42,000-ton carrier's general presence in the area was known—the AP notes it's large enough to be spotted from space—the Strava tracker disclosed its precise location, which the BBC notes "constitutes a dangerous act of imprudence." Le Monde has previously highlighted how open fitness data can reveal sensitive military and security details, from patrol patterns of French nuclear subs to movements of bodyguards protecting leaders such as US presidents Trump and Biden, and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, per the Telegraph. The incident comes as France and other allies pledge to help secure commercial shipping, including through the Strait of Hormuz. A French military spokesperson says that service members are cautioned about using apps while they're on active duty, noting that, for this incident, per the AP: "Appropriate measures are being taken by the command."
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
