By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use.
Accept
WhatsNew2DayWhatsNew2Day
  • Home
  • Australia
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Entertainment
  • Gaming
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Tech
  • US
  • World
Reading: Perth to Rottnest Island swimming competitors tracked by GPS via phones for days in privacy breach
Share
Aa
WhatsNew2DayWhatsNew2Day
Aa
  • Home
  • Contact
  • About us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Home
  • Australia
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Entertainment
  • Gaming
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Tech
  • US
  • World
Follow US
© 2022 WhatsNew2Day News Network. All Rights Reserved.
WhatsNew2Day > News > Perth to Rottnest Island swimming competitors tracked by GPS via phones for days in privacy breach
News

Perth to Rottnest Island swimming competitors tracked by GPS via phones for days in privacy breach

Last updated: 2023/03/02 at 1:04 AM
Jacky 3 weeks ago
Share
An app monitored the day's participants as they took part in the 19km South32 Rottnest Channel Swim (pictured) that kicked off in Perth last Saturday
SHARE

Disturbing discovery that hundreds of swim event participants were tracked for days by GPS on their phones across Australia and beyond in embarrassing privacy tangles

  • Swimmers with the smartphone app had their location tracked
  • A swimming event revealed locations four days later
  • Perth to Rottnest Swim app continued to track them

By Jade Hobman for Daily Mail Australia

Contents
Disturbing discovery that hundreds of swim event participants were tracked for days by GPS on their phones across Australia and beyond in embarrassing privacy tanglesShare or comment on this article:

published: 01:03 AM EST, March 2, 2023 | Updated: 01:04 EST, March 2, 2023

Swimmers competing in a cross-channel race had their location tracked via the event’s app for four more days after it ended – with organizers apologizing for the “oversight.”

A smartphone app monitored the participants throughout the day as they took part in the 19km South32 Rottnest Channel Swim that kicked off in Perth last Saturday.

But the app continued to track participants until Wednesday, when screenshots of a live view of participants’ real-time locations were posted to social media.

The app image showed clusters of numbered individuals, teams and support teams on a map scattered across Perth, Australia and other countries after participants left the event.

The organizers apologized for not turning off the tracking feature at the end of the race, admitting it was due to a ‘mistake’. Western Australian reported.

An app monitored the day’s participants as they competed in the 12-mile South32 Rottnest Channel Swim (pictured) that kicked off in Perth last Saturday

The app continued to track participants until Wednesday, when screenshots of a live view of participants' real-time locations (pictured) were posted to social media

The app continued to track participants until Wednesday, when screenshots of a live view of participants’ real-time locations (pictured) were posted to social media

It was shut down as soon as the organization was made aware of the gaffe, a said a spokesperson.

More than 2,500 swimmers had taken part in the race from Cottesloe to Rottnest Island, including participants from 10 countries.

But it is not clear how many of them have had their privacy violated.

Only contenders who volunteered to be tracked with their smartphones that day were exposed to the privacy breach.

Social media lit up over the bungle, with some people noting that the vulnerability of swimmers’ data could lead to strangers accessing their personal information through social media cross-checks.

“If you’re ever looking for a visual representation of the average person’s privacy and security awareness, that’s a great screenshot,” one commenter said.

Competitor Christine Murray, who placed 16th overall in the solo category, said there were problems even before the event even started.

“It was a bit of a talking point before the race between a few swimmers because we could also see a lot of people’s locations two or three days before,” she said.

The app image showed clusters of numbered individuals, teams and support teams on a map scattered across Perth (pictured), Australia and other countries after participants left the event

The app image showed clusters of numbered individuals, teams and support teams on a map scattered across Perth (pictured), Australia and other countries after participants left the event

More than 2,500 swimmers had taken part in the race from Cottesloe to Rottnest Island (pictured), including competitors from 10 nations

More than 2,500 swimmers had taken part in the race from Cottesloe to Rottnest Island (pictured), including competitors from 10 countries

“It needs to be brought to light because it can cause serious problems.”

She said it was “somewhat concerning” as the locations were accurate.

Meanwhile, the organizers of the iconic event said users could disable the location sharing feature at any time.

Sharing was not mandatory, but highly recommended for safety purposes on the day.

“We sincerely apologize to attendees who may have been affected by this and will be making procedural changes to ensure this does not happen again at future events,” the spokesperson said.

“The safety of all participants is the number one priority for the organizers of the South32 Rottnest Channel Swim.”

Share or comment on this article:

You Might Also Like

Today’s Show: Sarah Abo Takes Her $34,000 Toyota Corolla For A Spin Around Sydney

Britney Spears wears VERY low shorts and a skimpy orange top in her latest dance video

Professor Lee Holmes shares the quick and easy hack she swears by to stop soggy salads for good.

Delicious magazine trolled after John Lethlean review’s delayed apology as chefs call for boycott

Two empty police cars are set on fire in the Flatiron district of New York as officers begin the search for the arsonist

TAGGED: breach, competitors, dailymail, days, GPs, Island, news, Perth, phones, privacy, Rottnest, swimming, tracked
Jacky March 2, 2023
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Email Print
Share
Previous Article Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian smiled as he chastised CNN host Christiane Amanpour, telling her that 'this is not the way to conduct an interview' Iranian foreign minister smirks as he’s grilled on women’s rights by CNN host Christiana Amanpour
Next Article Ducks' three-game win streak snapped in overtime loss to Capitals Ducks’ three-game win streak snapped in overtime loss to Capitals

Latest

Recent Match Report - Mumbai Indians Women vs Delhi Capitals Women, Women's Premier League 2023, 18th Match |  ESPN.in
Recent Match Report – Mumbai Indians Women vs Delhi Capitals Women, Women’s Premier League 2023, 18th Match | ESPN.in
Sports
New Today show host Sarah Abo was seen running errands in Sydney on Friday.
Today’s Show: Sarah Abo Takes Her $34,000 Toyota Corolla For A Spin Around Sydney
Australia
Flaunting her midriff: Britney Spears, 41, rocked a pair of super-low-rise shorts on Monday night when she posted her latest dance video to Instagram
Britney Spears wears VERY low shorts and a skimpy orange top in her latest dance video
Entertainment
A former teacher and chef has shared why an ice cube tray inside a lunch box is the 'secret' to avoiding soggy salads in your lunch box (Lee Holmes pictured)
Professor Lee Holmes shares the quick and easy hack she swears by to stop soggy salads for good.
US
In February, food critic John Lethlean (pictured left) wrote in a restaurant review that
Delicious magazine trolled after John Lethlean review’s delayed apology as chefs call for boycott
News
An arsonist set fire to two parked NYPD cars before fleeing
Two empty police cars are set on fire in the Flatiron district of New York as officers begin the search for the arsonist
US

nba 2k23 mt

© WhatsNew2Day News Network. All Rights Reserved. Email: contact@whatsnew2day.com

  • Home
  • Contact
  • About us
  • Privacy Policy

Removed from reading list

Undo
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?