US military disables ad trackers on troops’ phones amid security fears
Summary
The US military has turned off ad tracking features on phones and computers used by troops to stop location data from being sold to outside companies. This move came after reports showed that enemies used commercial location data to find American forces in war zones. Lawmakers are now asking the Pentagon to investigate how well the military is protecting its troops from this risk.Key Facts
- The US Air Force disabled advertising trackers on their devices about two months ago.
- US Special Operations Command recently turned off trackers on Windows devices.
- The Army stopped using ad trackers on mobile devices earlier this year and on Windows computers before 2021.
- Mobile advertising IDs (MAIDs) are unique codes that help track device activity and location across apps.
- Location data is collected by advertising companies and sold by data brokers, which can be used to track military personnel.
- Some troops in the Middle East might have to give up their phones due to security concerns over location sharing.
- Senators Ron Wyden and Representative Pat Harrigan have asked the Pentagon to check if the military is handling location data risks properly.
- Disabling these trackers reduces but does not completely stop all ways troops can be tracked through their devices.
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