U.S. Military Disables Ad Tracking on Government-Issued Devices

The U.S. Department of Defense has disabled advertising tracking on troops’ government-issued phones and computers to reduce threats linked to their locations, according to a letter shared with Sen. Ron Wyden.

The U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Special Operations Command have disabled advertising tracking across government-issued devices, the letter said. The measures cover iPhones, Android devices, and Windows computers managed across the federal military enterprise network.

The protections are intended to stop adversaries, including hostile governments, from using location data collected by apps to target troops on battlefields or at military bases. App location data is commonly shared with third-party companies and data brokers, which sell the information on the commercial market.

Disabling the advertising ID makes individuals more difficult to identify because their location data blends with data from other devices whose advertising IDs are also disabled. Reuters reported that the military introduced the protections earlier this year, while the Air Force told Wyden it implemented its changes in July.

Wyden raised the issue after finding that unnamed foreign adversaries had used commercially obtained location data to target U.S. troops in the Middle East. He welcomed the changes but warned that personal devices brought onto military bases by troops and contractors could still expose service members and facilities to attacks.