US Military Disables Device Ad Trackers Following Middle East Targeting Concerns

The US military has disabled advertising trackers on various phones and computers following reports that commercially available location data was used to target American forces in the Middle East. According to letters released by Senator Ron Wyden and statements provided to Reuters, the Air Force disabled advertising identifiers on computers and mobile phones two months ago, while US Special Operations Command recently disabled them on Windows devices. The Army stated that advertising IDs on mobile devices have been disabled since earlier this year and on Windows computers since before 2021.

These disclosures highlight a national security concern regarding data brokers who collate and resell personal location data collected by the advertising industry. Senator Wyden and Representative Pat Harrigan have requested a Pentagon investigation into whether the military properly countered the dangers of the location data trade. Wyden stated that military efforts have not been effective at neutralizing the threat, while Harrigan noted that enemies should not be able to purchase information to track American troops.

This move coincides with broader discussions regarding phone restrictions. Some personnel in the Middle East could be ordered to surrender their phones due to concerns that internet videos are helping Iran target US bases. While Zach Edwards, co-founder of Decryptads, called the disabling of Mobile Advertising IDs a positive step, he warned that personnel could still be tracked through more complex methods such as triangulating network data with technical device details.