*WASHINGTON: *The Pentagon said on Monday it was reviewing whether itneeded to bolster its security protocols after fitness tracking devicesbroadcast patterns of movement of US personnel at American militaryfacilities around the world, including in war zones.
Nathan Russer, a student at the Australian National University in Canberra,drew attention to data when he wrote on Twitter about the images afterstumbling upon GPS tracking company Strava Global Heatmap.
“Once you look at Syria you can see a bunch of bright spots,” Russer said.
His discovery prompted others to scour the heat map, turning up otherpossible locations of US personnel, including in elsewhere in the MiddleEast and in Africa.
The Department of Defence which has disclosed the presence of US forces inSyria, said it encourages all defence personnel, wherever they are, tolimit their public presence on the internet. That guidance is even morestrict when troops operate in sensitive locations.
“DOD takes matters like these very seriously and is reviewing the situationto determine if any additional training or guidance is required,” thePentagon said in a statement, without directly confirming that US troopshad used the fitness trackers.
The Pentagon also said it was considering whether additional steps neededto be taken on the matter “to ensure the continued safety of DOD personnelat home and abroad.” – AFP