US Military Disables Ad Trackers Amid Targeting Concerns

Key facts

• U.S. military branches have disabled advertising trackers on a range of phones and computers.
• This action follows reports that commercially available location data was used to target American forces in the Middle East.
• The Air Force disabled identifiers on its devices two months prior to the report.
• U.S. Special Operations Command disabled trackers on its Windows devices.
• The Army has disabled advertising IDs on mobile devices since earlier this year.
• Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Pat Harrigan have called for an investigation into the military's handling of location data risks.

U.S. military officials have disabled advertising trackers on a range of phones and computers, a move that comes after reports that commercially available location data had been used to target American forces in the Middle East. The Air Force stated it disabled advertising identifiers on its devices two months ago, while U.S. Special Operations Command said it had recently disabled them on its Windows devices. The Army indicated that advertising IDs tied to mobile devices had been disabled since earlier this year, with Windows computers having restrictions in place since before 2021, though mobile devices only saw default disabling by February 2026.

Senator Ron Wyden, who has been advocating on this issue, along with Representative Pat Harrigan, sent a letter to the Pentagon requesting an investigation into whether the military has adequately addressed the dangers posed by the location data trade. Wyden expressed that the military's efforts have not been effective in neutralizing this threat, and Harrigan stated that adversaries should not be able to purchase information to track U.S. troops. The Pentagon has stated it will respond directly to the lawmakers. Mobile advertising IDs (MAIDs) are unique identifiers that track user activity and physical location across apps. Experts suggest these restrictions are positive for ensuring location data is not included in bulk sales, though tracking may still occur through more complex methods.