Warren, Bipartisan Lawmakers Reveal Foreign Adversaries Using Commercial Location Data to Target Servicemembers in Middle East; Urge Department to Adopt Safeguards to Protect U.S. Troops
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Home Newsroom Press Releases May 28, 2026 Warren, Bipartisan Lawmakers Reveal Foreign Adversaries Using Commercial Location Data to Target Servicemembers in Middle East; Urge Department to Adopt Safeguards to Protect U.S. Troops DoD has yet to implement basic protections against the collection and sale of servicemembers’ personal data, including in active war zones Text of Letter (PDF) Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) joined U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and U.S. Representative Pat Harrigan (R-N.C.) in releasing information confirming for the first time that hostile foreign adversaries are using commercial location data to target American servicemembers in active war zones. The letter was also signed by U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and Reps. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), Elijah Crane (R-Ariz.), Matt Van Epps (R-Tenn.), Scott Perry (R-Pa.), Keith Self (R-Texas), Michael Cloud (R-Texas), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), and Greg Steube (R-Fla.). In a letter to DoD Chief Information Officer Kirsten Davies, the lawmakers called for the Department of Defense (DoD) to address this major threat to national security by taking common-sense steps to prevent the collection and sale of servicemembers’ personal information, including phone location data. “Commercial location data can be used to identify where U.S. troops congregate and their pattern of life, which can be exploited by adversaries to target attacks such as missiles, drones, and roadside bombs, as well as for counterintelligence purposes,” wrote the lawmakers . “That foreign adversaries are still able to buy location data collected from the phones of U.S. personnel serving in military hotspots is a direct result of DoD leadership’s failure to prioritize this threat and implement commonsense cyber defenses recommended by federal cybersecurity experts.” On April 14, 2026 the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) told Congress in a written response that it “received multiple threat reports concerning adversary exploitation of commercial location data to target or surveil U.S. personnel in theater” during Operation Epic Fury in the Middle East. However, the DoD has yet to provide further information requested by Congress. In its written response, USCENTCOM revealed that the device advertising ID, which enables data brokers to more easily track smartphone location history, is still not disabled on DoD-issued smartphones, but stated that DoD is currently testing a capability to do so. Earlier this month USCENTCOM for the first time gained the capability to disable location sharing on smartphones it manages. The National Security Agency and Cybersecurity and Infrast
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