Pentagon Restricts Use Of Fitness Trackers, Other Devices

Military troops and other defense personnel at sensitive bases or certain high-risk warzone areas won’t be allowed to use fitness tracker or cell phone applications that can reveal their location, according to a new Pentagon order.

The memo 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.