US military confirms troops tracked via commercial location data

The U.S. Department of Defense has confirmed that adversaries have targeted and surveilled serving military personnel on the battlefield using commercial location data. The revelation came to light in a letter shared by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, which was first reported by Reuters on Thursday. In the letter, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM)—the military command that confirmed the threat reports—disclosed that hostile actors are actively exploiting commercial data streams. Specifically, USCENTCOM stated: “USCENTCOM has received multiple threat reports concerning adversary exploitation of commercial location data to target or surveil US personnel in theater,” highlighting how easily mobile and digital data can be weaponized in active conflict zones.

The process of gathering location data typically begins when information is collected from mobile phones and computers through online advertising. This data is subsequently purchased by commercial data brokers, who then sell the information on the open market. Historically, governments and militaries, including the United States, have purchased this commercial location data in the past without obtaining a warrant. To address the risks associated with these data collection practices, the FBI has previously warned consumers about ad data collection, advising them to use ad blockers as a practical way to minimize the amount of data that apps, websites, and other software can collect.

In response to these findings, Senator Ron Wyden has warned about the adtech industry. Wyden argued that the commercial availability of sensitive location files represents a direct vulnerability to national defense. He urged regulators to start treating the adtech industry as a national security threat, framing the commercial advertising pipeline as an active vector for foreign tracking. The confirmation from USCENTCOM underscores his warning, demonstrating that the same tracking mechanisms used to target consumers with digital ads are being utilized by adversaries to track U.S. military personnel.

Why it matters

The confirmation that commercial data streams are being weaponized against military personnel highlights a critical vulnerability in the modern digital economy, forcing a re-evaluation of how governments and private companies handle location data.