Warren, Bipartisan Lawmakers Reveal Foreign Adversaries Using Commercial Location Data to Target Servicemembers in Middle East; Urge Department to Adopt Safeguards to Protect[...]

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 Infrastructure Security Agency have both recommended disabling the advertising ID for years.

To prevent commercial data being used to target U.S. troops, the lawmakers urged the DoD to adopt common-sense safeguards, including disabling smartphone advertising IDs and replacing web browsers that are designed to facilitate online tracking and data collection, such as Google Chrome, with privacy-focused alternatives.

The DoD has reportedly known about this threat since at least 2016, when a government contractor briefed Joint Special Operations Command officials and demonstrated the ability to track phones traveling from U.S. special operations bases in the Middle East. Since then, reporters and researchers have repeatedly shown that large commercial datasets allow tracking of U.S. government and military personnel.

Senator Warren has continuously fought for the safety and well-being of our servicemembers and veterans:

• In April 2026, at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Personnel Subcommittee, questioned Admiral Frank M. Bradley, Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), on alarming reports of service members sustaining traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in President Trump's illegal war with Iran.

• In February 2026, at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, Ranking Member of the Committee Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) questioned military leaders on the impact of poor barrack conditions and inadequate child care on service member morale and readiness.

• In February 2026, at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) delivered opening remarks calling for improving the quality of military barracks, better pay for child care workers so military families can have the child care support they need, and tracking the impact of Republicans' health care cuts for service members and their families.

• In December 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth with concerns that the Department of Defense (DoD) is failing to properly implement a housing complaint database and the formal dispute resolution process for service members and families living in privatized housing on military bases around the country.

• In December 2025, following the passage of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (FY26 NDAA), Senator Warren secured key wins on service members' health and safety.

• In December 2024, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) reintroduced the Health and Location Data Protection Act, legislation banning data brokers from selling Americans' sensitive personal information. Data gathered by brokers has been used to circumvent the Fourth Amendment, out LGBTQ+ Americans, and stalk and harass individuals.

• In November 2023, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Chair of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.), released the following statements after Duke University published a report highlighting the detail, ease, and volume at which data brokers are selling the personal data of U.S. service members to web addresses located both in the United States and abroad.

• In July 2023, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Chair of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.), and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) reintroduced the Protecting Military Service Members' Data Act of 2023, a bipartisan bill that would protect the data of U.S. service members by preventing data brokers from selling lists of military personnel to adversarial nations including China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

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