US Military Disables Ad Tracking to Protect Troops From Location Attacks
US military disables ad tracking on government devices to blunt location attacks, but troops’ personal phones and warrantless data buying remain risks.
Summary
By September 4, 2026, the U.S. Department of Defense had disabled advertising tracking across government-issued devices used by the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Special Operations Command. The protections cover iPhones, Android devices and Windows computers on the federal military enterprise network. The rollout began earlier in 2026, with the Air Force implementing its changes in July. Disabling advertising IDs makes troops harder to identify because their app-derived location data blends with data from other devices whose IDs are also disabled, reducing targeting risks on battlefields and bases.
Senator Ron Wyden, the senior Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, pressed military leaders after finding that unnamed foreign adversaries had used commercially purchased location data to target U.S. troops in the Middle East. Apps commonly share location data with third parties and data brokers that sell it commercially. Wyden welcomed the restrictions but warned that personal devices carried onto bases by troops and contractors could still expose personnel and facilities. Despite acknowledging this threat, the U.S. intelligence community and FBI buy commercial location data for surveillance and intelligence collection without warrants.
Positives
- Five military organizations disabled advertising tracking across their government-issued devices.
- iPhones, Android devices and Windows computers on the federal military enterprise network receive the protections.
- The Air Force implemented its advertising-tracking restrictions in July 2026.
- Disabled advertising IDs make individual troops harder to distinguish within commercially available location datasets.
Risks & concerns
- Unnamed foreign adversaries used commercially purchased location data to target U.S. troops in the Middle East.
- Personal devices brought onto military bases by troops and contractors can still expose personnel and facilities.
- Apps commonly pass location data to third parties and data brokers that sell it commercially.
- The U.S. intelligence community and FBI continue buying commercial location data for surveillance and intelligence without warrants.