The U.S. military has deactivated advertising trackers on computers and cellphones as commercially sourced location data emerges as a growing threat to American forces deployed in the Middle East.
The Air Force said it shut down advertising identifiers on computers and mobile devices two months ago, while U.S. Special Operations Command said it had “recently” turned them off on Windows hardware.
The Army told Reuters that mobile advertising IDs have been disabled since earlier this year.
The information emerged in letters released on Friday by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and statements given to Reuters following reports that commercially available location data had been used to target American forces in the Middle East.
Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, has pressed the Pentagon on the issue for months.
The disclosures highlight a growing national security concern: location data gathered by the ad industry and sold by data brokers—companies that collect and resell personal information—can be exploited to monitor and target troops in combat zones.
The Air Force and Special Operations Command declined further comment. Similar letters to Wyden from the Army and Navy confirmed they disabled advertising IDs on military equipment without indicating when those rules were introduced. The Army stated that advertising IDs on Windows computers were blocked “since before 2021” but Android and Apple mobile devices only had them disabled by default “since at least February 2026.”
Messages seeking comment from the Navy went unreturned.
Efforts to limit smartphone location output come as defense officials evaluate broader bans on mobile phone usage. In July, Reuters reported that personnel deployed in the Middle East could be commanded to turn in their phones amid fears that video posts were helping Iran target American bases in the area.
Wyden and U.S. Representative Pat Harrigan, a North Carolina Republican, sent a joint letter to the Pentagon on Friday calling for an investigation into whether the military adequately defended against the commercial location data market. The letter detailed updates from various military branches on disabling advertising IDs on service devices.
Wyden said in a statement that military measures “have not been effective at neutralizing this threat.” Harrigan argued that foreign adversaries “should not be able to pull out a credit card and buy information that helps them track American troops.”
The Pentagon noted in an email that it would reply to lawmakers directly.
Mobile advertising IDs, or MAIDs, are distinct device identifiers that track app activity and pinpoint a user’s physical location.
Zach Edwards, co-founder of ad tech privacy firm Decryptads, called the effort to disable MAIDs on military equipment “definitely a positive thing.”
The restrictions “will essentially ensure their location isn’t being included in bulk data sales being done by numerous vendors,” though he warned personnel could still be tracked through more complex means, such as combining device tech details with network or location data.