The US military has stopped advertising identifiers on a number of phones and computers after it became clear that information about the devices' location was used to track and attack servicemen in the Middle East. This was reported by Reuters.
This is data that advertising companies collect en masse from computers and mobile devices, including where they are, to target ads. This data is freely sold online as part of their business model.
The purpose of advertising identifiers is to track users’ activity, interests, physical location and other characteristics, under the pretext that this can be used to advertise products that match their interests and needs.
The US Air Force told Senator Ron Wyden that it turned off advertising identifiers on mobile phones and computers about two months ago. The Special Operations Command said it would "recently" disable the feature on its Windows devices. The US military told Reuters that mobile device identifiers had been blocked since earlier this year.
In letters to Wyden, the Army and Navy also confirmed the restrictions. The military said Windows advertising identifiers have been blocked "since before 2021," while Android and Apple devices have had the feature disabled by default "since at least February 2026."
Wyden and Republican Pat Harrigan have asked the Pentagon to investigate whether the military has taken sufficient measures to address the risk. Wyden said the efforts have not effectively eliminated the threat, and Harrigan warned that it is unacceptable for US adversaries to be able to purchase information that could help them track US military personnel.
The measures come amid tighter restrictions on the use of phones by US service members. In July, it emerged that the phones of some military personnel in the Middle East could be seized over concerns that online videos they posted were helping Iran locate US bases.
Privacy expert Zach Edwards described disabling advertising identifiers as a benefit, but warned that service members could still be tracked through apps installed on their devices, as well as through a combination of technical and network data.