US military blocks ad trackers on phones, computers amid Iran breach

• Data brokers selling ad-tracking location data reportedly helped target US troops abroad, prompting the Pentagon to disable such trackers on military devices.

The Pentagon is switching off advertising trackers built into military phones and computers, according to letters Senator Ron Wyden released Friday and separate reporting by Reuters. 

The change comes after reports that location data bought on the open market had helped identify American forces in the Middle East.

Branch-by-branch timelines vary: the Air Force says it flipped the switch two months ago; Special Operations Command made the change on its Windows machines recently; and the Army says its phones have been covered since earlier this year, with computers protected since before 2021. 

Android and iPhone devices, the Army noted, only got this protection by default starting around February 2026. 

The Navy confirmed comparable action without offering dates and did not answer follow-up questions.

Neither the Air Force nor Special Operations Command would elaborate further.

Read more: Iran says it will launch preemptive strikes against threats

Security issues

Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, has been pushing the Pentagon on this for months.

At issue is the practice of data brokers buying and reselling location signals gathered by ad networks, a pipeline that can inadvertently map where troops are stationed or moving. 

The identifiers involved, known as mobile advertising IDs (MAID), are unique tags assigned to each device that let companies follow app usage and, frequently, real-world location.

This comes alongside a separate push to tighten phone use more broadly: Reuters reported in July that troops in the Middle East might be told to hand in their devices altogether, out of concern that footage they filmed and posted was giving Iran clues to target US installations.