U.S. military personnel targeted using commercial location data

As outlined in TechCrunch, the U.S. Department of Defense has confirmed that adversaries are exploiting commercial location data to surveil and target U.S. military personnel in active conflict zones. This revelation highlights a significant national security concern regarding the widespread availability and misuse of data collected from everyday devices.

The U.S. Central Command acknowledged in a letter that hostile actors are purchasing commercial location data to track American servicemembers. This data is often gathered through mobile apps and websites via online advertising networks, then aggregated and sold by data brokers on the open market. While governments, including the U.S., have previously acquired such data without warrants, this marks a direct instance of its weaponization against military personnel.

Senator Ron Wyden has called for the adtech industry to be recognized as a national security threat, emphasizing the urgent need for stricter regulations on how location data is collected, traded, and utilized to prevent future exploitation.

Source: TechCrunch