The ad-tracking industry is exposing US soldiers on the battlefield

US Central Command says adversaries are using commercial location data to track American personnel in active war zones.

The data comes from ad-tech systems and brokers that collect device locations and ad identifiers, creating a major operational security risk.

Earlier military and academic work showed how easily troops can be identified from these datasets, including near bases such as Fort Bragg, MacDill, and Quantico.

The same commercial data has also been bought by parts of the US defense community, highlighting how widespread and sensitive the market has become.