The Pentagon warns of the targeting of US military personnel via geolocation data.

The Pentagon has been alerted to the use of commercial geolocation data to monitor and potentially target US military personnel deployed in conflict zones, according to documents obtained by Reuters. This case reignites concerns about the exploitation of personal data in the digital advertising sector.

In a letter sent to Reuters by Democratic Senator Ron Wyden, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) indicated that it had received "multiple threat reports" concerning "the adversary's exploitation of commercial geolocation data to target or monitor U.S. personnel in the theater of operations."

CENTCOM oversees, among other things, US military operations in the Gulf and the Middle East, a region where tensions remain high with Iran, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz. Military officials did not, however, specify which adversaries were involved or how this data would have been used in practice.

According to Ron Wyden and several U.S. lawmakers from both major parties, this is the first official confirmation that U.S. forces were targeted in an active war zone using commercially available location data.

The elected officials are warning of the risks posed by the global digital surveillance economy. In their letter to the Pentagon, they argue that this data makes it possible to identify troop gathering locations, movements, and habits—information that can then be used to conduct missile attacks, drone strikes, or counter-espionage operations.

Faced with this threat, several members of parliament are calling for immediate action. Among the proposals mentioned are disabling advertising identifiers on devices used by the military, stricter restrictions on location data sharing, and even abandoning the Chrome browser on certain devices.

This case underlines the growing importance of digital data in modern conflicts and how commercial technologies can now have direct consequences for military security and war operations.