The U.S. military’s attempts to shield troops from being tracked via purchased location data have not been as effective as intended, prompting congressional inquiries into the matter.
Congressional Oversight
Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Representative Pat Harrigan (R-NC) have formally requested an investigation by the Defense Department Inspector General. Their concerns center on the Defense Department’s (DoD) policies, which have only partially mitigated the risks associated with location data that can identify and target military personnel.
Background on Location Data Risks
In May, Wyden, Harrigan, and a bipartisan group of 12 other lawmakers revealed how commercially acquired location data—often sourced from mobile applications and advertising software development kits (SDKs)—can pinpoint the locations of U.S. military personnel. This issue has been on the DoD’s radar since at least 2016.
Current Measures and Limitations
In response to these concerns, various military branches, including the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Special Operations Command, have disabled advertising identifiers on government-issued devices. However, this action has not completely eliminated the availability of location data linked to military personnel. Wyden and Harrigan’s letter highlights ongoing reports that raise questions about why such data remains accessible.
Speculations on Data Sources
The lawmakers suggest several potential reasons for the ineffectiveness of DoD policies. One possibility is that some branches of the DoD only recently disabled their advertising identifiers, as late as July. Another concern is that merely disabling these identifiers may not be enough to prevent the sale of location data. Additionally, there is speculation that some of the data may originate from personal devices used by military personnel and contractors.
According to Zach Edwards, a staff threat researcher at Infoblox, the disabling of advertising IDs on military devices is a positive step toward enhancing the safety of military personnel, especially those in combat zones. He noted that this change should prevent military location data from being included in bulk data sales by various vendors.
Despite these measures, Edwards pointed out that the effectiveness of mobile advertising identifiers (MAIDs) in protecting data remains questionable, particularly given the involvement of international ad tech companies that may not adhere to U.S. regulations.
This article was produced by NeonPulse.today using human and AI-assisted editorial processes, based on publicly available information. Content may be edited for clarity and style.
