🚨US Troops Still Trackable via Purchased Location Data
Congress Wants to Know Why DoD Can't Stop It
TL;DR
US military personnel's location data continues to be available for purchase despite DoD policies. Congress is investigating why controls haven't stopped data from being sold.
US troops' location data remains available for purchase despite DoD policies to mitigate the risk. Congress is investigating why these controls haven't stopped data from being sold. This affects military personnel and their families, as location data can be used to track movements and target locations. The DoD has been aware of this threat since 2016 and has implemented policies to disable advertising identifiers on government and personal devices. However, data continues to be available, potentially from personal devices of DoD personnel and contractors. This highlights the ongoing challenge of protecting sensitive information in the digital age.
Key Points
DoD policies to disable advertising identifiers on government and personal devices have been in place since 2016.
Lawmakers released details in May about how commercially purchased location data can be used to identify military personnel.
Several DoD components confirm disabling advertising IDs on government-issued devices to protect personnel from threats.
Some parts of the DoD may have only recently turned off advertising identifiers as of July.
Russian and Chinese ad tech vendors, unregistered in US data broker registries, still collect and sell data.
Why It Matters
Military personnel's location data continues to be available for purchase despite DoD policies. This affects the security and privacy of military families. For example, if you're a military spouse or dependent, your location data could be used to track your movements and target you. The ongoing challenge of protecting sensitive information highlights the need for stronger data protection measures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does this matter?
Military personnel's location data continues to be available for purchase despite DoD policies. This affects the security and privacy of military families. For example, if you're a military spouse or dependent, your location data could be used to track your movements and target you. The ongoing challenge of protecting sensitive information highlights the need for stronger data protection measures.
What happened?
US military personnel's location data continues to be available for purchase despite DoD policies. Congress is investigating why controls haven't stopped data from being sold.
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