● Covered by 2 sources · 2 reportsMedium impact2 neutral
US Military Disables Ad Tracking on Devices to Protect Troops from Location-Based Threats
Key points
- US military disabled ad tracking on government-issued devices.
- Applies to iPhones, Android devices, and Windows computers.
- Aims to prevent adversaries from using location data to target troops.
- Follows reports of commercially available data targeting US forces.
- Senator Ron Wyden pressed the Pentagon on the issue.
Military-Wide Implementation
The U.S. Department of Defense has disabled advertising tracking on government-issued devices for all branches of the military. This includes devices used by the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Special Operations Command.
The change applies to iPhones, Android devices, and Windows computers managed across the federal military enterprise network. The military began rolling out these protections earlier this year, with the Air Force implementing changes in July.
Addressing National Security Concerns
This measure was enacted to protect service members from threats that exploit their location data. Adversaries, including hostile governments, have reportedly used commercially obtained location data from apps on troops' phones to target them, including in the Middle East.
Location data collected from phone applications is frequently shared with third-party companies and data brokers, who then sell this information on the commercial market. Disabling ad tracking aims to mitigate this vulnerability.
Congressional Scrutiny
The action follows months of pressure from Senator Ron Wyden, a senior Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee. Wyden has consistently raised concerns with the Pentagon regarding the national security implications of location data sold by data brokers.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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How outlets covered it
The US military has disabled advertising trackers on various devices used by service members following reports that commercially available location data was used to target American forces. This action addresses a national security concern regarding data brokers selling personal location data that could be exploited by adversaries.
The U.S. Department of Defense has disabled advertising tracking on government-issued phones and computers for all military branches. This action aims to protect service members from adversaries using commercially obtained location data to target them.