Pentagon restricts use of fitness trackers, other devices
August 6, 2018 by Lolita C. Baldor
Military
troops and other defense personnel at sensitive bases or certain high-risk
warzone areas won't be allowed to use fitness tracker or cellphone applications
that can reveal their location, according to a new Pentagon order.
The
memo, obtained by The Associated Press, stops short of banning the fitness
trackers or other electronic devices,
which are often linked to cellphone applications or smart watches and can
provide the users' GPS and exercise details to social media. It says the
applications on personal or government-issued devices present a
"significant risk" to military personnel so those capabilities must
be turned off in certain operational areas.
Under
the new order, military leaders will be able to determine whether troops under
their command can use the GPS function on their devices, based on the security
threat in that area or on that base.
"These
geolocation capabilities can expose personal information, locations, routines,
and numbers of DOD personnel, and potentially create unintended security
consequences and increased risk to the joint force and mission," the memo
said.
Defense
personnel who aren't in sensitive areas will be able to use the GPS
applications, if the commanders conclude it doesn't present a risk. For
example, troops exercising at major military bases around the country, such at
Fort Hood in Texas or Norfolk Naval Station in Virginia, would likely be able
to use the location software on their phones or fitness devices. Troops on
missions in more sensitive locations, such as Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan or parts
of Africa, meanwhile, would be restricted from using the devices or be required
to turn off any location function.
Concerns
about exercise trackers and other electronic devices came to a head in January
in the wake of revelations that an interactive, online map was pinpointing
troop locations, bases and other sensitive areas around the world.
The
Global Heat Map, published by the GPS tracking company Strava, used satellite
information to map the locations of subscribers to Strava's fitness service. At
the time, the map showed activity from 2015 through September 2017. And while
heavily populated areas were well lit, warzones such as Iraq and Syria show
scattered pockets of activity that could denote military or government
personnel using fitness trackers as they move around.
The
Pentagon immediately launched a review, noting that the electronic signals
could potentially disclose the location of troops who are in
secret or classified locations or on small forward operating bases in hostile
areas.
This
is the second memo affecting the use of cellphones and other electronic devices
that the department has released in recent months. In May, defense officials
laid out new restrictions for the use of cellphones and other mobile wireless
devices inside the Pentagon.
That
memo called for stricter adherence to long-held practices that require phones
be left in storage containers outside secure areas where sensitive matters are
discussed. But it also stopped short of banning the devices, and instead made
clear that cellphones can still be used in common areas and other offices in
the Pentagon if classified information is not present.
The
latest memo says the new restrictions include GPS functions on fitness
trackers, phones, tablets, smart watches and other applications.
The
Pentagon also said it will provide additional cybersecurity training to include
the risks posed by the trackers and other mobile devices.
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