How a French sailor's routine fitness app activity leaked aircraft carrier's location amid West Asia tension

The sailor used a smartwatch to record a 36-minute run on March 13 on the carrier's deck and the data placed the ship in the Mediterranean Sea near Cyprus

A French naval officer's fitness app activity has exposed the real-time location of the country's aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in the Mediterranean, in what has been described as a major security lapse amid rising tensions in the West Asia region.

The exact position of the French aircraft carrier was revealed after the naval officer logged a workout on his public profile on the fitness app, Strava, allowing anyone to track the vessel in real time, according to a Le Monde report.

The sailor used a smartwatch to record a 36-minute run on March 13, covering more than four miles on the carrier's deck. The data placed the nearly 900-foot ship in the Mediterranean Sea near Cyprus, about 62 miles off the Turkish coast, according to the French newspaper report.

The incident took place around two weeks after US and Israeli air strikes on Iran and shortly after France announced the carrier's deployment on March 3.

The app that the French sailor used is reported to have around 120 million users worldwide and allows runners and cyclists to log and share their workouts online, including location data. The feature has often raised concerns over operational security when used by military personnel.

The newspaper said that at least one other public profile has been sharing geotagged workouts from another French Navy ship on an active mission. These posts included images of the deck, crew members and onboard exercise equipment.

France has faced similar issues in the past. Security personnel linked to President Emmanuel Macron, as well as those connected to the United States and Russian leaders, have previously used the app in ways that exposed sensitive information. In one such instance, a security agent linked to a US presidential visit publicly shared a running route, which allowed observers to identify the location linked to the visit.

Responding to the latest incident, the French Armed Forces General Staff told Le Monde that the sailor violated digital security rules by sharing his run and said that "appropriate measures will be taken by the command".