WASHINGTON: The US military has begun disabling advertising trackers on phones and computers used by its personnel amid concerns that location data collected through apps could potentially be used to track American troops in the Middle East.
The move affects several branches of the US military and follows growing concerns that commercially available location data can reveal the whereabouts of service members.
The US Air Force told Senator Ron Wyden that it disabled advertising identifiers on computers and mobile phones used by its personnel about two months ago. The US Special Operations Command has also turned off the trackers on its Windows devices.
The Army said it had blocked the identifiers on Windows computers before 2021 and disabled them on Apple and Android phones in February this year.
What are advertising identifiers?
The identifiers, commonly known as Mobile Advertising IDs, are designed to allow apps and advertisers to track devices and build profiles based on users’ activities.
While primarily intended for advertising purposes, privacy experts have warned that the data can be obtained from commercial data brokers and potentially used for other purposes, including determining a person’s location.
The concern has attracted increased attention as US forces operate across the Middle East.
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Senator presses Pentagon over tracking risks
Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, has been pressing the Pentagon for months over the issue and has called for an investigation into whether the military has taken sufficient measures to protect service members.
The Pentagon has said it will respond to lawmakers’ concerns.
However, disabling advertising identifiers does not make military personnel impossible to track.
Privacy experts warn that other types of information can still reveal a person’s movements. Data collected from multiple apps, devices and other sources can potentially be combined to determine an individual’s location.
Military considers tighter mobile phone rules
The US military is also considering stricter rules governing how troops use mobile devices.
The review comes amid concerns that videos and other content posted online by deployed personnel could inadvertently expose sensitive information, including details about their locations or military activities.
The latest measures reflect growing concerns within the US military over the security risks associated with commercially collected location data and the widespread use of connected mobile devices.
