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Pentagon Bans Use Of Smartphone Geolocation Features On Deployment

Some wearable fitness trackers and apps that use geolocation will no longer be allowed for troops on deployment.
Posted at 8:00 PM, Aug 06, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-06 20:00:45-04

The Pentagon announced Monday it's banning military personnel from using tech that uses geolocation while they're deployed.

Banned items include certain wearable fitness trackers and some smartphone apps, potentially including fitness and dating apps.

The Pentagon's goal is to limit how trackable troops are after it found out in January that a fitness app may have revealed the locations of service members.

A memo on the policy said, "Effective immediately, Defense Department personnel are prohibited from using geolocation features and functionality on government and non-government-issued devices."

The new policy only affects service members on operational bases and locations. It will allow use of some devices if the location features are turned off.

Additional reporting by Newsy affiliate CNN.