Main points
- A journalist from a Dutch TV channel sent a Bluetooth tracker to the frigate Evertsen, which allowed him to track its route.
- Following the incident, the Dutch Ministry of Defense plans to strengthen the verification of military correspondence.
The frigate Evertsen (left) escorts the aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth Royal Navy / UK Government
Just Vervaart, a journalist for the Dutch TV channel Omroep Gelderland, conducted an experiment with the security of military mail – he sent a Bluetooth tracker to a frigate, hiding it in a postcard. The shipment allowed him to track the ship's movements for more than a day.
This is reported by Omroep Gelderland.
How did the journalist track the Dutch frigate?
The frigate is the Evertsen, part of an aircraft carrier group accompanying the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in the Cyprus area. The group is tasked with protecting allies and sea lanes amid tensions over Iran.
As journalists found out, during the inspection of military mail, envelopes are not fully scanned or opened – they are only examined through X-rays. This is what made it possible to deliver a tracker worth about 5 euros on board the ship unnoticed.
With the device, Vervaart was able to track the frigate's route in real time, from its departure from the port of Heraklion in Crete to its movement towards Cyprus. Since the ship is accompanied by an aircraft carrier, the location of the entire strike group was effectively revealed.
Following the incident, the Dutch Ministry of Defense announced its intention to strengthen the verification of military correspondence. Similar cases have already occurred: previously, a French officer accidentally revealed the position of the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle through the fitness app Strava.
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