US military turns off ad trackers on devices amid Middle East targeting reports: Reuters
The move follows reports that commercially sold location data was used to track deployed troops, and lawmakers say the threat remains unresolved.
- On Friday, U.S. military officials confirmed they have disabled advertising trackers on phones and computers, following reports that commercially available location data had been used to target American forces in West Asia.
- Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Pat Harrigan demanded an investigation into the location data trade, as military officials weigh broader restrictions on phone use to protect personnel from tracking by foreign adversaries.
- The Army has blocked mobile ad IDs since at least February 2026, while the Air Force disabled identifiers two months ago and Special Operations Command acted "recently" on Windows devices.
- Privacy expert Zach Edwards of Decryptads called the move "definitely a positive thing," noting the restrictions "will essentially ensure their location isn't being included in bulk data sales being done by numerous vendors."
- Despite these updates, Senator Wyden argued the military's efforts "have not been effective at neutralizing this threat," while Representative Harrigan insisted adversaries "should not be able to pull out a credit card and buy information" to track troops.
62 Articles
62 Articles
US Military Disables Ad Tracking On Troops' Devices After Location Data Used To Target Them
The US military has disabled advertising trackers on phones and computers used by its personnel amid concerns that commercially available location data could be used to track and target American troops in the Middle East.
US military officials have disabled advertising identifiers on phones and computers following reports that commercial location data was being used to target American troops in the Middle East.
US military disables ad trackers amid fears location data could put troops at risk
US military branches have disabled advertising IDs on phones and computers after reports that location data was used to target troops in the Middle East. Lawmakers say the steps may still fall short as data brokers can sell information that helps track American personnel.
The US military has disabled location-based ad trackers from computers and phones, amid reports that they helped target soldiers The post The US military disables "ad trackers" - They may have been giving away soldiers' locations appeared first on in.gr.
They fear that commercially available data will reach enemies of the United States and be used to select targets.
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