Jen Van Santvoord rides her Peloton exercise bike at her home on April 07, 2020 in San Anselmo, California.
Ezra Shaw | Getty Images
When Joe Biden moves into the White House, he may have to leave part of his workout routine behind.
The president-elect’s Peloton could be seen by the Secret Service as a security threat, according to a Popular Mechanics report. The popular stationary bike connects to the internet and includes a camera and microphone that could create a risk of being hacked.
To get the all-clear on the exercise equipment, Biden’s Peloton may have to rip out some of its key features — the mic, camera and networking equipment that connects it to cycling classes and makes it feel more interactive, Max Kilger, director of the University of Texas at San Antonio’s data analytics program told Popular Mechanics.
There may be a precedent for modifying the bike or getting a custom one, however. In a review written in The Verge three years ago, the author, Lauren Goode, said a person “close to the company” told her former first lady Michelle Obama had a Peloton that did not have a camera and microphone. At the time, Peloton and Obama’s press office declined to comment.
Biden’s press team and Peloton have been contacted about whether the president-elect’s bike may get a workaround, too.
Peloton, once the subject of ridicule, has become a Covid pandemic success story. It’s seen a surge in demand as Americans look for safer alternatives to the gym and invest in exercise equipment for their homes. Share prices have more than quintupled over the past year, giving Peloton a market value of more than $46.2 billion.
