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· collected 2026-09-04 · by Reuters
US military officials have disabled advertising trackers on devices after reports emerged that commercially available location data was being used to target American forces in West Asia. According to letters released by Senator Ron Wyden and statements given to Reuters, the Air Force, Special Operations Command, Army, and Navy have all taken steps to disable ad tracking identifiers. The effort comes amid growing national security concerns over the use of location data collected by the advertising industry being used to track military personnel. US officials are now weighing stricter restrictions on phone use overall, including potentially ordering deployed personnel in West Asia to surrender their phones.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
U.S. military officials have taken steps to protect their personnel's location data, disabling ad trackers on devices after reports emerged that commercially available location data was being used to target American forces in West Asia. This move comes amid concerns that location data collected by the advertising industry and sold by data brokers can be used to track and target military personnel deployed to war zones. The Air Force, Special Operations Command, and Army have all disabled ad trackers on their devices, with some disabling them as far back as earlier this year. The decision follows months of pressure from U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat who has been pushing the Pentagon for answers on the issue. Reports had suggested that location data was being used to target American bases in West Asia, and the U.S. military is taking steps to mitigate this risk.
Written for “U.S. Military Data Security” on 2026-09-05,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
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Leaning score -0.35 for article 4369 (medium confidence, 2 verified quotes) · logged 2026-09-05
U.S. military officials say they have disabled advertising trackers on a range of phones and computers, according to letters released on Friday (September 4, 2026) by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and statements given to Reuters, a development that follows reports that commercially available location data had been used to target American forces in West Asia.
uncertain
data → say → Asia
The Air Force told Mr. Wyden it disabled the advertising identifiers on computers and mobile phones two months ago.
asserted
it → tell → computers
U.S. Special Operations Command said in a separate letter that it had “recently” disabled them on its Windows devices.
asserted
it → say → devices
The Army told Reuters that advertising IDs tied to mobile devices had been disabled since earlier this year.
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IDs → tell → year
Mr. Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, has pressed the Pentagon on the issue for months.
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Wyden → press → months
The disclosures highlight a growing national security concern: that location data collected by the advertising industry and sold by data brokers — companies that collate and resell personal data — can be used to track and target military personnel deployed to war zones.
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that → highlight → zones
The Air Force and Special Operations Command declined further comment.
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Force → decline → comment
Similar letters from the Army and Navy to Wyden said they disabled advertising IDs on military devices but gave no indication of when the restrictions were imposed.
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restrictions → say → indication
The Army said in a statement that advertising IDs had been blocked on Windows computers “since before 2021” but that Android and Apple mobile devices had only had it disabled by default “since at least February 2026.”
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it → say → February
Messages seeking comment from the Navy went unreturned.
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Messages → seek → Navy
The effort to reduce the location data generated by smartphones comes as military officials weigh increasingly strict restrictions on phone use overall.
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officials → reduce → use
In July, Reuters reported that some deployed personnel in West Asia could be ordered to surrender their phones amid concerns that mobile videos they were posting to the internet were helping Iran target American bases in the region.
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Iran → report → region
Mr. Wyden and U.S. Representative Pat Harrigan, a North Carolina Republican, sent a letter to the Pentagon on Friday (September 4, 2026) asking for an investigation into whether the military had properly countered the dangers of the location data trade.
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military → send → trade
The letter included the updates from the various service branches on their efforts to disable advertising IDs on military devices.
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letter → include → devices
Mr. Wyden said in a statement that it was clear that the military’s efforts “have not been effective at neutralizing this threat.”
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efforts → say → threat
Mr. Harrigan said that U.S. enemies “should not be able to pull out a credit card and buy information that helps them track American troops.”
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them → say → troops
The Pentagon said in an email it would respond to the lawmakers directly.
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it → say → lawmakers
Mobile advertising IDs, often abbreviated MAID, are unique identifiers tied to specific devices that can be used to track a person’s activity across mobile apps and pinpoint their physical location.
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that → abbreviate → location
Zach Edwards, co-founder of privacy ad tech company Decryptads, said that efforts to disable MAID on military-operated devices were “definitely a positive thing.”
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efforts → say → devices
The restrictions “will essentially ensure their location isn’t being included in bulk data sales being done by numerous vendors,” although he cautioned that personnel might still be tracked through apps in other more complicated ways, for example by triangulating technical device details with network data or location information.
uncertain
personnel → ensure → data
