US Military disables ad trackers on troops' phones
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
US military disables ad trackers on troops' phones amid location data security fears.
US military officials disabled advertising identifiers on phones and computers, per letters released by Senator Ron Wyden. The Air Force acted two months ago, Special Operations Command recently on Windows devices, and Army on mobile devices since February 2026. The move follows reports that commercially available location data was used to target American forces in the Middle East. Wyden and Representative Pat Harrigan asked the Pentagon to investigate the military's handling of location data trade dangers.
What commenters are saying
Commenters largely support the move but note it's overdue. Many discuss technical limitations: disabling the advertising ID helps but other fingerprinting methods exist (e.g., APFS creation date on iOS). Some argue for outright banning of ad tracking, while others say overregulation risks. Several highlight past incidents: Strava heatmaps, targeted ad campaigns, and Kalshi bets exposing troop movements. A commenter asks why military spouses and contractors aren't similarly protected, and another notes no personal devices were allowed on exercise as far back as 2009.