US soldiers banned from using GPS features

The US Department of Defense has banned deployed service members from using geolocation functions on devices, including fitness trackers, phones and other devices that track and pinpoint a user’s location.

In a new directive, US Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick M Shanahan has prohibited Defense Department personnel from using geolocation features and functionality on both government- and non-government-issued devices while deployed in operational areas.

The department has cited fears that information stored and uploaded by such devices can present enemies with information on military operations.

In January, the Pentagon launched a review into the use of fitness trackers after Strava, an app that collects fitness activities via GPS, released a global heatmap of its users’ activities.

Soon after the release of the data, journalist Nathan Ruser published information demonstrating that the data could be used to identify and map US and other countries’ military bases and patrol activities, prompting the Pentagon investigation.

“The rapidly evolving market of devices, applications and services with geolocation capabilities presents a significant risk to the Department of Defense personnel on and off duty, and to our military operations globally,” Pentagon spokesperson US Army Colonel Robert Manning III told reporters.

He said their use in overseas locations “potentially create unintended security consequences and increased risk to the joint force and mission”.

Commanders will be in charge of enforcing the policy, and will have limited scope to make exceptions after conducting a thorough risk assessment.

Image courtesy @futuresprog

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