How were the details of 4,000 NATO personnel exposed? A fitness app is to blame

The data of nearly 4,000 military personnel serving at NATO command centres and military bases in Belgium has been leaked as a result of their use of the Strava fitness app.

Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken spoke about the incident during parliamentary hearings,TodayPress TV reports.

He accused military personnel of negligence over the breach.

“There are clear instructions regarding the use of personal phones, but some military personnel blatantly fail to follow them,” he said.

The minister acknowledged that the fitness app had led to the exposure of information about several sensitive military facilities. These include NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Mons, NATO headquarters in Brussels, Florennes Air Base, which hosts the new F-35 fighter jets, and Kleine Brogel Air Base, where, according to unconfirmed reports, US tactical nuclear weapons are stored.

Aysel Matlab