Polarsteps banned from Ministry of Defence phones due to security tracking risks

The Dutch Ministry of Defence has banned the travel application Polarsteps from all official work devices following reports that military personnel could be tracked through the software. Investigative platform Follow the Money discovered that an API flaw allowed them to identify the work and home locations of soldiers, as well as their movements during international exercises. While Polarsteps denied a major data breach, they acknowledged a technical issue where trip data remained accessible via old links even after users changed their privacy settings to private. The company states this flaw has since been patched and emphasizes there is no evidence of widespread misuse. This decision echoes a 2018 policy change when the ministry banned fitness tracking apps like Strava after similar security concerns emerged regarding the exposure of sensitive military locations. Officials have not commented on the use of Polarsteps on private devices, noting that strict security protocols already exist for personnel deployed in specific high-risk mission areas.