The US Department of Defense has disabled advertising tracking on troops' phones and computers to protect them from threats that exploit location data, according to a letter shared with Senator Ron Wyden.
The letter confirms that the US Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Special Operations Command have all disabled advertising tracking across their government-issued devices, including iPhones, Android devices and Windows computers on the military enterprise network.
The move aims to stop adversaries, including hostile governments, from using location data derived from apps to target troops on the battlefield or at bases. Disabling the advertising ID makes individuals harder to identify because their location data blends with others who have also disabled tracking.
Senator Wyden, a privacy advocate, raised the issue earlier this year after finding that unnamed foreign adversaries had targeted US troops in the Middle East using commercially obtained location data. While he commended the military's action, he warned that personal devices brought onto bases by troops and contractors could still expose service members and facilities to attacks.