EXPOSING BROADER PATTERNS
Most modern militaries, including the SAF, have settled on risk-managed use rather than outright bans of fitness tracking apps, said Mr Ridzwan Rahmat, principal defence analyst at defence consultancy Janes.
Restrictions are typically imposed during classified or sensitive exercises, overseas operations or training where movement patterns could matter operationally, he added.
Still, experts said that risks should not be dismissed. “Pattern-of-life exposure” such as repeated runs, walks and patrols can reveal daily routines and frequency of movement – and pinpoint frequently used internal roads, facility perimeters and routine movement areas inside an installation, said Mr Ridzwan.
“Publicly available data can reveal patterns of life such as the number of personnel in an area, their activity level, and fitness profile that may seem harmless as an individual data set,” said defence observer David Boey, a former member of MINDEF’s Advisory Council on Community Relations in Defence.
“However, such data can represent another piece of the jigsaw that observers compile for a more complete picture of activities inside a military installation.”
Taken as a whole, such open-source intelligence can be exploited by hostile intelligence services and potential terror threats, said Dr Ong Weichong from the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies’ National Security Studies Programme.
Assoc Prof Razwana added that potential adversaries – including terrorist, extremist and organised crime groups – may exploit such insights to identify security vulnerabilities.
