These kinds of unexpected discoveries are frequently found in location data provided by mapping firms. When fitness tracking service Strava posted a map of users’ activity in 2017, it mistakenly exposed the location of multiple US military locations, revealing where soldiers had been running circuits around airfields. Similarly, the geolocation features of Snapchat have been used to gather photographs and videos from the front lines of the Iraq War. The information posted in warzones via social media, with or without location data, has become a significant tool for open-source investigators, journalists, and others.
