U.S. military branches have disabled mobile advertising identifiers (MAIDs) across military-issued phones and computers following growing concerns that commercial data brokers were selling location data used to track and target troops in the Middle East.

According to letters released by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and U.S. Representative Pat Harrigan, the Air Force disabled advertising trackers on its devices two months ago, while U.S. Special Operations Command recently deactivated them on Windows devices. The Army confirmed blocking MAIDs on Windows computers prior to 2021, while Android and Apple mobile devices were restricted by default starting in early 2026. The Navy also confirmed implementing restrictions, though it did not specify when they were enacted.

The measures address national security risks stemming from the commercial data broker industry, where location information harvested via adtech can be purchased by foreign adversaries. The crackdown coincides with broader operational security measures in the Middle East, including potential phone confiscations to prevent troops from unintentionally exposing base locations through social media uploads.

Despite these updates, lawmakers sent a joint letter to the Pentagon calling for an official investigation into the military’s handling of location data risks. Senator Wyden stated that previous military safeguards failed to neutralize the threat, while Representative Harrigan emphasized that foreign enemies should not be able to buy tracking data on American service members. Cybersecurity experts noted that while disabling MAIDs prevents device locations from appearing in bulk commercial data sales, troops could still face sophisticated tracking through network data and device fingerprinting.