US military turns off ad trackers on devices amid Middle East targeting reports

WASHINGTON, Sept 4 (Reuters) - U.S. military officials say they have disabled advertising trackers on a range of phones and computers, according to letters, opens new tab released on Friday by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and statements given ‌to Reuters, a development that follows reports that commercially available location data had been used to target American forces in the Middle East.

The disclosures highlight ⁠a growing national security concern: that location data collected by the advertising industry and sold by data brokers — companies that collate and resell personal data — can be used to track and target military personnel deployed to war zones.