The US military disables ad trackers on service-issued phones and computers after reports linked commercial location data to the targeting of American forces in the Middle East.
Letters released by US Senator Ron Wyden and statements provided to Reuters detailed measures across several branches of the military.
The disclosures came as lawmakers raised concerns about data brokers selling information that could reveal troops’ locations.
The US Air Force told Wyden that it disabled advertising identifiers on computers and mobile phones about two months earlier. US Special Operations Command said it had recently switched them off on Windows devices.
The US Army told Reuters that it had blocked advertising IDs on Windows computers since before 2021. However, it began disabling them by default on Android and Apple mobile devices by at least February 2026.
Letters from the Army and Navy also confirmed restrictions on military devices. Mobile advertising identifiers, known as MAIDs, allow advertisers and other companies to associate activity with individual devices.
Such information can also help identify a device’s physical location when companies collect and combine location data. The restrictions follow broader concerns about troops’ digital footprints in conflict zones.
Reuters reported in July that some personnel deployed in the Middle East could be ordered to surrender their personal phones. Officials feared online videos could provide information useful for locating American bases.
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Wyden and Republican US Representative Pat Harrigan asked the Pentagon on Friday, September 4, to investigate whether existing safeguards adequately address risks from the commercial location-data trade.
Wyden said the military had not yet neutralized the threat, while Harrigan argued that US adversaries should not be able to purchase information that helps them track American troops. The Pentagon said it would respond directly to the lawmakers.
