Exclusive-US military turns off ad trackers on devices amid Middle East targeting reports

In a move aimed at enhancing military security, the U.S. military has disabled advertising trackers on a variety of devices, including computers and mobile phones, according to letters obtained by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and reported by Reuters. This development comes in response to reports that commercially available location data was being used to target American forces in the Middle East.

The Air Force and Special Operations Command informed Senator Wyden that they had disabled advertising identifiers on their devices two months ago and recently, respectively. The Army confirmed that it had disabled advertising IDs tied to mobile devices since earlier this year. These disclosures highlight a growing concern about the potential misuse of location data collected by the advertising industry and sold by data brokers for tracking and targeting military personnel deployed in war zones.

While the Air Force and Special Operations Command declined further comment, the Army and Navy also stated in letters to Wyden that they disabled advertising IDs on military devices; however, they provided no specific dates for when these restrictions were put in place. The Army clarified that advertising IDs had been blocked on Windows computers since before 2021, but only on Android and Apple mobile devices since at least February 2026.

The push to reduce location data generated by smartphones is taking place as military officials consider increasingly stringent restrictions on phone usage. In July, Reuters reported that some deployed personnel in the Middle East might be required to surrender their phones due to concerns that mobile videos posted online were aiding Iran in targeting American bases in the region.

Senator Wyden and U.S. Representative Pat Harrigan, a Republican from North Carolina, recently sent a letter to the Pentagon requesting an investigation into whether the military had adequately addressed the risks associated with the location data trade. The letter included updates from the different service branches on their efforts to disable advertising IDs on military devices.

Senator Wyden stated that the military's efforts to neutralize this threat have not been effective, while Representative Harrigan emphasized that U.S. adversaries should not be able to obtain information through credit card purchases that helps them track American troops.

The Pentagon responded to the lawmakers' request for an investigation, expressing its intention to address the concerns directly. Zach Edwards, co-founder of privacy ad tech company Decryptads, welcomed the military's efforts to disable MAIDs (mobile advertising identifiers) on military-operated devices, stating that it will prevent the inclusion of soldiers' locations in bulk data sales by various vendors.

However, he cautioned that personnel could still be tracked through other means, such as triangulating technical device details with network data or location information.