World
US Forces Targeted Using Commercial Location Data in Conflict Zones
US military officials have confirmed that commercial location data has been exploited to target American troops deployed in war zones, highlighting risks from the global surveillance economy.
Military officials have received reports indicating that American forces stationed in conflict areas have been targeted through the use of commercially available location data, revealing how the global surveillance economy is becoming a battlefield.
The US Central Command, in a message shared by Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon with Reuters, stated that it "received multiple reports of threats involving adversaries exploiting commercially available location data to target or monitor US service members in operational areas."
The message, dated April 14, did not provide further details. However, the Central Command's area of responsibility includes the Gulf region, where US forces face the Iranian military in the Strait of Hormuz.
Senator Wyden, along with a bipartisan group of lawmakers, sent a letter on Thursday to the US Department of Defense (the Pentagon), describing this disclosure as the first official confirmation that American troops have been targeted in a war zone.
The letter warned that "commercially available location data can be used to identify the whereabouts and movement patterns of US forces, which adversaries could exploit to carry out attacks using missiles, drones, roadside bombs, and for counterintelligence purposes."
Wyden stated in a press release that it is time "to begin treating the advertising technology sector as a national security threat."
The Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment. The lawmakers noted in their letter that efforts to obtain additional information from military officials regarding these targeting reports have been unsuccessful.
