US Army Disables Ad IDs Against Location Data Threat

The US Army has disabled advertising IDs (MAID) on devices following allegations that military personnel's location data collected and sold by the advertising industry was used to target forces in the Middle East. Letters disclosed by Senator Ron Wyden and Reuters reports show the Air Force disabled these identifiers on Windows devices two months ago, and the Special Operations Command did so recently. The Army disabled relevant identifiers on mobile devices earlier this year.

While Wyden has pressured the Pentagon for months, it was emphasized that these measures are insufficient and that enemies can still track US soldiers using location information purchased from data brokers. Representative Pat Harrigan also requested an investigation via a co-signed letter into whether military units have adequately responded to this threat. The Pentagon stated it would respond directly to members of Congress.

Experts stated that disabling MAIDs is a 'definitely positive step' in removing personnel locations from bulk data sales, but warned that tracking risks persist through other methods such as network data and device fingerprinting. According to a July Reuters report, some US personnel in the region may have been ordered to hand over their phones.