U.S. says troops were targeted with location data, as senator warns ad industry is a ‘national security threat’
The U.S. Department of Defense has confirmed that adversaries have used commercial location data to target military personnel. Senator Ron Wyden has expressed concerns that the ad industry poses a national security threat due to the misuse of this data. The situation highlights the risks associated with the collection and sale of personal information from devices.
- ▪The U.S. Central Command reported that hostile actors have exploited commercial location data to surveil U.S. servicemembers.
- ▪Location data is often collected through online advertising and sold by data brokers without warrants.
- ▪Senator Wyden has called for the adtech industry to be treated as a national security threat.
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In Brief Posted: 9:21 AM PDT · May 28, 2026 Image Credits:Vadym Ivanchenko / Getty Images Zack Whittaker U.S. says troops were targeted with location data, as senator warns ad industry is a ‘national security threat’ 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 latest demonstration of how information collected from phones and computers can be abused to track and target individuals. In a letter shared by Sen. Ron Wyden with TechCrunch, U.S. Central Command said it was aware of hostile actors using purchased location data to track U.S. servicemembers.
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