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US military turns off ad trackers on devices amid Middle East targeting reports

From Daily Star · () English

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Named sources Ongoing story
  • US military branches have disabled advertising identifiers on some phones and computers after reports that commercially available location data was used to target American forces in the Middle East.
  • The Air Force, Army and Special Operations Command provided differing timelines, while similar Navy details were not disclosed.
  • Lawmakers Ron Wyden and Pat Harrigan asked the Pentagon to investigate whether the military had adequately addressed risks from the data-broker industry.

US military officials have disabled advertising trackers on some phones and computers after reports that commercially available location data had been used to target American forces in the Middle East.

Letters released by Senator Ron Wyden and statements provided to Reuters show that the Air Force disabled advertising identifiers on computers and mobile phones two months ago. US Special Operations Command said it had “recently” disabled them on Windows devices. The Army said advertising IDs linked to mobile devices had been disabled earlier this year.

recently

· US Special Operations CommandThe command used the word in a letter describing when it disabled advertising identifiers on Windows devices.

The disclosures highlight a national security concern surrounding mobile advertising identifiers, or MAIDs. The identifiers are tied to individual devices, while data brokers collect and resell location information gathered by the advertising industry. That information can potentially be used to track military personnel deployed in war zones.

have not been effective at neutralizing this threat

· Ron WydenThe senator assessed the military's efforts to address risks from commercial location data.

The services have offered different timelines. The Army said advertising IDs had been blocked on Windows computers before 2021, while the feature had been disabled by default on Android and Apple mobile devices since at least February 2026. Similar letters from the Army and Navy said advertising IDs had been disabled on military devices but did not specify when. The Navy did not respond to requests for comment, and the Air Force and Special Operations Command declined further comment.

Wyden has pressed the Pentagon on the issue for months. He and Representative Pat Harrigan asked for an investigation into whether the military had properly countered the dangers of the location-data trade. Their concerns follow an earlier Reuters report that some Middle East personnel could be ordered to surrender their phones because videos posted online might help Iran target US bases. Wyden said the military's efforts “have not been effective at neutralizing this threat.” Harrigan said US enemies “should not be able to pull out a credit card and buy information that helps them track American troops.”

should not be able to pull out a credit card and buy information that helps them track American troops

· Pat HarriganThe congressman criticized the ability of adversaries to purchase data that could locate US personnel.
About this summary

Originally published by Daily Star. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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