U.S. military disables ad tracking on service devices to protect troops from location-based attacks

Advertising IDs turned off across all service‑issued hardware

The Department of Defense disabled advertising tracking on government‑issued phones and computers after a letter to Senator Ron Wyden revealed the move. The letter, shared with the senior Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Special Operations Command have all turned off tracking. The devices include iPhones, Android phones and Windows computers managed through the federal military enterprise network. Reuters first reported the news and the letters, noting the protections were rolled out earlier this year, with the Air Force telling Wyden its changes took effect in July.

Preventing adversary exploitation of location data

The action aims to stop hostile governments and other adversaries from using location data harvested from apps to pinpoint service members on the battlefield or in bases. Such data is routinely shared with third‑party companies and data brokers, which then sell it on the commercial market. By disabling the advertising identifier, a user’s location becomes indistinguishable from the mass of other disabled IDs, making targeted attacks far more difficult.

Unresolved risks from personal devices and government data purchases

Wyden, a longtime privacy advocate on Capitol Hill, raised the issue earlier this year after learning that unnamed foreign adversaries had targeted U.S. troops in the Middle East using commercially obtained location data. While he praised the step to curb tracking on service devices, he warned that personal phones and laptops brought onto military installations by troops and contractors could still expose personnel and facilities. Separately, the U.S. intelligence community and the FBI have acknowledged purchasing similar location data for surveillance and intelligence purposes without a warrant.