At first glance they seem like simple tourists. Arm in arm on the Champs-Elysées, in shorts and a cap, they take a photo on the most beautiful avenue in the world and publish the photo on the Internet.
In reality, the four acolytes are special agents of the United States Secret Service (USSS), the American federal agency charged in particular with protecting the country’s presidency. And if they are in Paris it is to ensure the trip of the first lady, Jill Biden, who represents the United States during the long-awaited opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. Problem: they make public much more than just photos of tourists. And they are not the only ones.
Because the French agents of the security group of the Presidency of the Republic (GSPR), the Americans of the USSS, as well as their Russian counterparts from the Federal Protection Service (FSO) share a strong liking for the Strava application, which allows them to record their sports performances and share them. Using a connected phone or watch, they track their running or cycling trips. This data is then published on the platform, which functions as a social network.
The problem: user profiles are public by default. And the vast majority of data is geolocated. It is evident that the bodyguards of the French, American and Russian presidents communicate without being aware of their movements on the Internet, even during professional missions. A security breach of unprecedented magnitude that allows them to be tracked and thus identify in advance the places where the main heads of state on the planet will stay.
On Tuesday, July 11 and Wednesday, July 12, 2023, for example, Emmanuel Macron must travel to Vilnius, Lithuania, to attend a NATO summit. Almost a year and a half after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the member countries of the Atlantic Alliance are discussing the possibility of reaffirming their support for kyiv. But, since Sunday the 9th, Paul (names have been changed), a GSPR agent, was on the scene. Arriving as a “precursor”, according to the established deadline, his mission was to secure the premises, two days before the president’s arrival in Lithuania. Nothing unusual so far, especially since this trip is, as it should be, on the Elysée calendar.
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