Belgium’s Ministry of Defence has banned military personnel from using geolocation-based applications, including the travel app Polarsteps, inside or near military facilities.
The decision follows an investigation by Dutch organisation Follow the Money, which revealed that photos, videos and location data belonging to around 23 million Polarsteps users could be accessed, including approximately 904,000 Belgian users. The users included Dutch, French and Belgian military personnel.
The organisation said the data primarily belonged to users who had made their accounts public. However, its investigation also found that some users with private accounts were sharing more information than they realised.
At the same time, the Dutch Ministry of Defence placed the application on its blacklist and banned its use with immediate effect. The Belgian Ministry of Defence confirmed that the use of geolocation applications is generally prohibited for military personnel inside or near military facilities, warning that violations of the rule would constitute a breach of regulations.
Polarsteps allows users to share photos, videos, messages and travel routes with friends and family. The application has previously faced concerns over the level of privacy it provides to users.
