US military turns off ad trackers on devices amid Middle East targeting reports: Reuters
Officials say the move blocks mobile advertising IDs and Windows trackers to limit bulk location sales that could expose deployed troops.
- 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.
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The US Air Force, Special Forces and Army have disabled advertising identifiers on military devices as concerns grow that commercially available data could be used to track military personnel in war zones.
The US is strengthening protection for military devices amid fears that location data could be used to track US troops in the Middle East. The Air Force, Army and Special Operations Command have already disabled advertising identifiers on mobile phones and computers, limiting the ability to collect location data. The move is part of efforts to limit the risks posed by third-party data collection and commercial exploitation that could potentiall…
US military disables ad trackers on phones, computers amid target fears in Middle East: Report
The US Air Force told Wyden it disabled the advertising identifiers on computers and mobile phones two months ago. US Special Operations Command said it had “recently” disabled the identifiers on its Windows devices.
US Military Disables Ad Trackers Amid Middle East Targeting Reports
The Air Force told Wyden it disabled the advertising identifiers on computers and mobile phones two months ago. U.S. Special Operations Command said in a separate letter that it had \"recently\" disabled them on its Windows devices.
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