US military turns off ad trackers on devices amid Middle East targeting reports: Reuters
The move follows reports that commercially available location data was used to target troops, and lawmakers say the risk remains despite the new restrictions.
- 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.
53 Articles
53 Articles
US disables ad trackers amid fears location data could target troops: Report
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.
Death through advertising. will shutting down help? The news may seem funny to some: Pentagon officials have disabled advertising identifiers (MAID) on the devices of US Army personnel in fear that Americans could be tracked..
Death through advertisingwill shutting down help?The news may seem funny to some: Pentagon officials have disabled advertising identifiers (MAID) on the devices of US Army personnel in fear that Americans could be tracked through...
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