Anyone can obtain data on the tracking of American soldiers and spies to nuclear vaults and brothels in Germany.
More than 3 billion phone coordinates collected by a data broker in the U.S. reveal the specific movements of U.S. military and intelligence workers in Germany, and the Pentagon has no way to stop it.
Almost every weekday morning, a device leaves a two-story house near Wiesbaden, Germany, and takes a 15-minute trip along a main highway. Around 7 a.m., it arrives at Lucius D. Clay Kaserne, the European headquarters of the U.S. Army and a key center for intelligence operations in the country. This device stops near a restaurant before heading to an office belonging to a major government contractor responsible for equipping and securing some of the nation's most sensitive facilities.
For approximately two months in 2023, this device followed a predictable routine: stops at the contractor's office, visits to a discreet hangar on the base, and lunch outings at the base dining facility. On two occasions in November of the previous year, it made a 30-minute trip to Dagger Complex, a former intelligence signal processing facility for the NSA. On weekends, the device showed signals at restaurants and shops in Wiesbaden.
The person carrying this device is likely not a spy or a high-ranking intelligence officer, but rather a contractor working on critical infrastructure systems, such as HVAC or security for the newly constructed Consolidated Intelligence Center, which is suspected to be used by the NSA. However, this device poses risks to U.S. national security.
A joint investigation has revealed that U.S. companies that collect digital advertising data are also providing a cheap and reliable way to track the movements of U.S. military and intelligence personnel abroad, from their homes to aircraft shelters on bases where nuclear weapons are believed to be stored. Billions of location coordinates obtained from a U.S.-based data broker were analyzed, offering an exceptional breakdown of the daily routines of service members.
From sensitive facilities in Germany, hundreds of thousands of device signals were tracked within critical installations. This includes devices in NSA monitoring facilities and a sprawling complex where Ukrainian troops were trained, as well as bases supporting U.S. drone operations. A device associated with an NSA employee transmitted coordinates from a building with a metal exterior known as the "Tin Can," which is reportedly used for NSA surveillance. Another device sent signals from within a restricted weapons testing facility.
Devices were tracked from barracks to Italian restaurants, supermarkets, and bars, including various data pointing to brothels in the vicinity of Ramstein Air Base. Experts warn that foreign governments could use this information to identify individuals with access to sensitive areas, and terrorist or criminal groups could deduce when U.S. nuclear weapons are least protected.
Oregon Senator Ron Wyden has pointed out that the unregulated data industry represents a clear threat to national security, criticizing the sale of location data of brave service members. Following a briefing on tracking potential service members, he contacted the Department of Defense (DoD), which did not respond. The lack of response has also been noted from the U.S. National Security Council.
Commercial data collection has been a concern since at least 2016. A government contractor showed how location data from existing commercial devices in conflict zones like Syria could be used for behavioral analysis. Although the DoD is aware of the risks posed by geolocation information, it is highlighted that the lives of service members are too interwoven with this technology.
Even data on low-ranking personnel can pose a significant risk, as they may have access to critical infrastructures. The information revealed can trace daily activity patterns of devices in military database, potentially exposing peak activity times and moments of lower traffic, which could be crucial for attack plans.
Recently, German authorities arrested a former U.S. Army civilian contractor accused of providing sensitive information about military operations to Chinese intelligence agencies. This highlighted the growing vulnerability of U.S. military operations abroad in the current context.
In summary, the ability of companies to offer location data from devices raises critical questions about the safety of service members and the protection of sensitive military operations, while discussions on privacy legislation remain stalled in Congress.
