Location of top-secret military bases given away - by personnel using Strava fitness app

Data generated by smartphone app used by fitness fanatics in the military gave away location of secret bases

The locations of supposedly top-secret military bases around the world have been exposed by a popular fitness tracking app, called Strava, after the company released an "activity map" of where its app was being used.

Strava is smartphone application that allows users to log their movements when they run, job, cycle or surf. However, users based in the military - many in hot spots such as Niger, Syria and Iraq - are keen users of the app, with many not turning it off while posted to these hot spots.

In November last year, the company posted an interactive map of more than 13 trillion GPS points generated by users of its app. It was intended to demonstrate how widely the app is used by fitness fanatics across the world.

But over the weekend, the Institute for United Conflict Analysts (IUCA) founding member Nathan Ruser discovered that the interactive map could be used for intelligence gathering, highlighting the location of military facilities - many supposedly secret.

I just looked at it and thought, oh hell, this should not be here - this is not good

It shows military bases in countries such as Syria and Afghanistan, and can even reveal their regular patrols - putting soldiers at risk of terrorism, ambush and worse. A spokesperson for the US military said experts are currently investigating the map.

Speaking to the Washington Post, Air Force Colonel John Thomas said the US is currently analysing the threats posed by publication of the map. He said that private locations had already been removed from the map.

With the app, users have the ability to make their movements public or private. According to Strava, private details haven't been included in the map - indicating that the company has even more data that could be used by terrorists if it fell into the wrong hands.

The app details American bases in Syria and Iraq, a French facility in Niger and a UK RAF military site located in the Falklands

In an interview with the BBC, Ruser explained that he discovered the security vulnerability last week: "I just looked at it and thought, oh hell, this should not be here - this is not good."

Many military bases are already profiled on services such as Google Maps, although they can request removal, but the Strava map highlights the level of activity at bases, and regular routes undertaken by personnel.

The app details American bases in Syria and Iraq, a French facility in Niger and a UK RAF military site located in the Falklands.

"We are committed to helping people better understand our settings to give them control over what they share," said Strava in a statement.