Lawmakers Warn Pentagon Over Threat Reports of Troop Tracking via Commercial Location Data
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 2
Lawmakers Warn Pentagon Over Threat Reports of Troop Tracking via Commercial Location Data
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 2
Bipartisan lawmakers told the Pentagon that U.S. Central Command had received multiple threat reports of foreign adversaries using commercial location data to target or surveil U.S. troops overseas.
A letter led by Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Pat Harrigan said the Defense Department had not taken basic steps to curb the risk, even though data brokers can sell smartphone location signals and advertising identifiers.
CENTCOM only began administratively disabling location sharing on government-issued phones in May, the lawmakers said, while ad identifiers still remain active on those devices.
The group urged the Pentagon to disable ad identifiers on all government phones, require similar settings on personal devices used overseas or on bases, and switch to privacy-focused browsers with anti-tracking protections.
The warning revives a vulnerability exposed since the 2018 Strava heat-map incident, but lawmakers and cyber experts say the broader commercial data market now lets adversaries buy patterns of life instead of hacking for them.
With AI analyzing purchased data, can soldiers ever truly hide their movements from foreign powers?
If commercial data is a weapon used against soldiers, why do US agencies also buy it?
Why would adversaries hack military secrets when they can simply buy them for pennies?
From Strava to Adtech: The 2026 National Security Emergency Over Commercial Location Data and U.S. Military Vulnerability
Overview
Adversaries are exploiting commercially available location data to target U.S. military personnel, especially those in active war zones. This threat is urgent, as highlighted by U.S. Central Command and lawmakers in May 2026. The problem starts with common internet browsers and apps on personal devices, which are designed to collect and share user data. This location data is gathered by commercial entities, then sold to third parties—including advertisers, hedge funds, and even government agencies—without the knowledge of the individuals being tracked. As a result, everyday technology becomes a tool that puts troops at risk, showing the need for stronger safeguards and leadership.