A recent examination of hundreds of mobile apps marketed toward US military personnel has uncovered concerning code from companies in China and Russia. Researchers found that one popular app used by service members to rate living conditions on their bases includes software from Huawei, a company previously flagged as a national security threat by US regulators.

The largely unregulated advertising industry that tracks Americans online often treats civilians and military personnel the same, unless profit incentivizes otherwise. Experts warn that this data could reveal troop deployments, unit movements, and routines in sensitive facilities, aiding foreign spies.

These concerns are not just hypothetical. In April, US Central Command acknowledged receiving multiple threat reports of adversaries exploiting commercial location data to target or surveil American personnel in the Middle East. Lawmakers have called it the first official confirmation that troops in active war zones are being hunted through the data-broker economy—a threat long warned about by Pentagon contractors and researchers.

The findings raise serious questions about the security risks of using apps designed for military use, highlighting the need for more stringent oversight and regulation of technology companies serving the armed forces.