U.S. military disables ad trackers on devices over threat of attack targeting
A U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet takes off from the deck of an aircraft carrier (Photo: Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Zoe Simpson/Handout via REUTERS)
The U.S. military disabled ad trackers on some phones and computers after reports that commercially available location data was used to target U.S. forces in the Middle East.
Reuters reported that the move was detailed in statements obtained by the news agency and letters released by Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden.
The Air Force told Wyden that it had disabled advertising identifiers on computers and mobile phones two months ago. U.S. Special Operations Command said in a separate letter that it had "recently" disabled them on its Windows devices.
The Army told Reuters that advertising identifiers associated with mobile devices had been disabled earlier this year.
Reuters reported that similar letters to Wyden from the Army and Navy said advertising identifiers had been disabled on military devices but did not specify when the restrictions were introduced.
In a statement, the Army said advertising identifiers on Windows computers had been blocked "since before 2021," while those on Android and Apple mobile devices had been disabled by default only "since at least February 2026."
Wyden and U.S. Rep. Pat Harrigan, a North Carolina Republican, sent a letter to the Pentagon on Sept. 4 requesting an investigation into whether the military had adequately addressed the risks posed by the trade in location data.
The letter included information from different branches of the armed forces about measures they had taken to block advertising identifiers on military devices.
Wyden said in a statement that the military's efforts "have not been effective in neutralizing this threat." Harrigan said U.S. adversaries "should not be able to pull out a credit card and buy information that helps them track American service members."
The Pentagon said in an email that it would respond directly to the lawmakers.
Reuters noted that efforts to reduce the amount of location data generated by smartphones come as military leaders consider increasingly strict restrictions on phone use more broadly.
In July, Reuters reported that some U.S. Army personnel deployed in the Middle East could soon be ordered to turn in their cellphones amid concerns that videos they post online could help Iran target U.S. bases in the region.
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