US military disables ad tracking to prevent location leaks
What's the story
The US Department of Defense has disabled advertising tracking on its troops' phones and computers. The move is aimed at protecting them from threats targeting their locations. Senator Ron Wyden, a senior Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, shared this information in a letter. The US Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps as well as Special Operations Command have all disabled advertising tracking across their government-issued devices including iPhones and Androids.
Data protection
Ad tracking disabled to prevent enemy from using location data
The military's action comes as a measure to prevent adversaries, including hostile governments, from using location data from apps on troops' phones.
This information could be used to target them on the battlefield or at their bases.
The US Army revealed that it had disabled advertising IDs on mobile devices earlier this year and blocked them on its Windows computers before 2021.
Security risks
Personal devices of troops could still expose them to attacks
Senator Wyden had raised concerns earlier this year about foreign adversaries targeting US troops in the Middle East with commercially obtained location data.
He praised the military's move to reduce advertising tracking but warned that personal devices of troops and contractors brought onto military bases could still expose service members and facilities to attacks.
The US intelligence community and FBI have confirmed they buy this data for surveillance and intelligence collection without a warrant.
Device impact
Other military branches also took similar measures
The military's measures against location data misuse affect devices used by several branches, including the Army, Air Force, and US Special Operations Command.
The Air Force revealed it disabled advertising identifiers on computers and mobile phones about two months ago.
US Special Operations Command also confirmed it had recently disabled these identifiers on its Windows devices. However, the Navy's position remains unclear at this time.
Ongoing efforts
Privacy experts warn devices could still be tracked
Privacy experts say while disabling advertising IDs can reduce the risk, it may not completely prevent devices from being tracked.
Other forms of technical information, including network data and information collected by apps, could still reveal a device's location.
This means turning off advertising identifiers is just one part of the military's wider effort to limit location data generated by its personnel's devices.