By Umar Farooq
WASHINGTON (AA) – The Pentagon on Monday restricted the use of all devices and applications with global positioning system (GPS) and operational positioning technology.
In its written statement, the Defense Department noted that these devices carry risks to the security of the army's global operations and military personnel.
“Defense Department personnel are prohibited from using geolocation features and functionality on government and non-government-issued devices, applications, and services while in locations designated as operational areas, ” the statement said.
The new policy does not cover public buildings not defined as military operation areas, such as the Pentagon, and the Pentagon said if the GPS feature is turned off the devices can be used.
In January, the application Strava, dubbed the social network for athletes, shared the locations of users all over the world through its “global heat map “, which used GPS technology to track the locations of active users.
The heat map showed the travel patterns of people moving in and around military operation areas, as well as the location of some previously unknown U.S. bases in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq.
*Kasim Ileri contributed to this story
