U.S. says troops were targeted with location data, as senator warns ad industry is a ‘national security threat’ - BERITAJA

In Brief

The U.S. Department of Defense has confirmed that adversaries person targeted and surveilled serving subject unit connected the battlefield utilizing commercialized location data, the latest objection of really accusation collected from phones and computers could beryllium abused to way and target individuals. 

In a letter shared by Sen. Ron Wyden pinch TechCrunch, U.S. Central Command said it was alert of dispute actors utilizing purchased location information to way U.S. servicemembers.

“USCENTCOM has received aggregate threat reports concerning adversary exploitation of commercialized location information to target aliases surveil US unit successful theater,” the missive reads.

The missive did not supply examples aliases specifics, and a spokesperson for the Department of Defense did not return a petition for comment.

Reuters first reported the news connected Thursday.

Location information is often collected from phones and computers done online advertising, which past gets bought by information brokers, who past waste the information connected the unfastened market. Governments and militaries, including the United States, person purchased this information successful the past without obtaining a warrant. In caller years, the FBI has warned consumers to usage blockers arsenic a measurement to minimize the magnitude of information that apps, websites, and different package could collect.

Wyden told Reuters that it was clip to “start treating the adtech manufacture arsenic a nationalist information threat.”

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