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the Guardian·

🚨US Military Disables Ad Trackers on Devices

Military Devices Now Safer from Ad Trackers

TL;DR

The US military has disabled advertising trackers on phones and computers to prevent location data from being used to target American forces. This move addresses growing national security concerns.

The US military has disabled advertising trackers on phones and computers to protect against location data being used to target American forces. This follows reports that commercially available location data was used to track and target military personnel in the Middle East. The air force, Special Operations Command, and the army have all taken steps to disable advertising identifiers on their devices. This move aims to prevent the misuse of location data by data brokers and protect military personnel from potential threats. However, the effectiveness of these measures remains questionable, as some deployed personnel could still be tracked through other means.

US Military Disables Ad Trackers on Devices — the Guardian

Key Points

1

The air force disabled advertising identifiers on computers and mobile phones two months ago.

2

US Special Operations Command disabled advertising identifiers on Windows devices recently.

3

The army disabled advertising IDs tied to mobile devices earlier this year.

4

Advertising IDs had been blocked on Windows computers since before 2021.

5

Android and Apple mobile devices had advertising IDs disabled by default since at least February 2026.

Why It Matters

If you're in the military or work with sensitive data, disabling advertising IDs on devices is crucial to prevent location data from being misused. However, the effectiveness of these measures remains uncertain, as other tracking methods may still pose a threat.

militaryadvertisinglocation datacybersecuritynational security

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does this matter?

If you're in the military or work with sensitive data, disabling advertising IDs on devices is crucial to prevent location data from being misused. However, the effectiveness of these measures remains uncertain, as other tracking methods may still pose a threat.

What happened?

The US military has disabled advertising trackers on phones and computers to prevent location data from being used to target American forces. This move addresses growing national security concerns.

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