Säpo Bodyguards Leak Sensitive Information on Ulf Kristersson

Through the popular fitness app Strava, Säpo bodyguards have exposed sensitive information about some of Sweden's most important figures, reports Dagens Nyheter. At least 35 instances of sensitive data about Ulf Kristersson have been shared.

The newspaper analyzed over 1,400 published training activities from seven bodyguards. It was found that the information could reveal where Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) lives and has been during several private occasions.

The leaks have been ongoing for several years.

All the bodyguards examined protect individuals in Sweden's highest state leadership. Besides the Prime Minister, this includes the royal family, SD leader Jimmie Åkesson, and Sweden's two former Prime Ministers Magdalena Andersson and Stefan Löfven (both S).

Anyone could access the security guards' movement patterns on Strava, as their profiles were open.

"This is really not good. This type of information should not leak in this way," says security expert Johan Wiktorin to DN.

The accounts have now been closed.

Säpo states that they take the information seriously and will take measures to ensure that something similar does not happen again.

"At the same time, I want to emphasize that the protection of our protected persons consists of several layers, with bodyguard protection being one part. In our work, we assume that certain information may be known in advance and dimension the protection accordingly," says Carolina Björnsdotter Paasikivi, head of the security department, in a press release.

Macron's Bodyguards Exposed Last Fall

The same issue was uncovered in France last fall, when the newspaper Le Monde revealed that President Emmanuel Macron's bodyguards also published their running routes on Strava, thereby exposing top-secret information about the president's whereabouts.

At that time, Swedish Säpo did not comment on how they relate to the use of Strava and similar apps.

"The security arrangements that our personal protection takes to ensure safety are extensive, but we never have the opportunity to go into details about how that work looks and what rules and routines apply," said Fredrik Hultgren-Friberg, press communicator at Säpo, to Expressen.

Expressen has sought Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who refers to the government office.