The U.S. Army can’t escape the internet’s surveillance machine

Fast Company Tech

by Chris Stokel-Walker

February 24, 2026

AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary

The U.S. Army’s unclassified IT infrastructure has become a target for corporate surveillance, with nearly one-fifth of frequently accessed internet resources on its networks being tracker domains designed to harvest user data. A study by the Army Cyber Institute at West Point revealed that while only 19% of top domains were trackers, they accounted for 42% of actual web requests. This alarming trend highlights how military personnel’s online activities are inadvertently feeding the surveillance economy, with major companies like Adobe, Microsoft, and TikTok implicated in data collection efforts. The study also found that 10.4% of websites visited by Army networks embedded tracking code directly into their pages, further exacerbating the issue. Data collected by these trackers—such as geolocation, email addresses, and browsing habits—is often aggregated and sold by data brokers as commercially available information (CAI). This creates a potential risk for adversaries to exploit sensitive military data, including the online interactions of servicemen and women. Dr. Alan Woodward, a cybersecurity expert at the University of Surrey, noted that this problem echoes past incidents where commercial products exposed sensitive military information, such as when fitness app Strava revealed military base locations through its heat map in 2018. He emphasized the importance of operational security (OPSEC) and highlighted that many systems administrators still fail to recognize that on the internet, if you’re not a paying customer, you are the product. The findings underscore the need for improved cybersecurity measures within government and military networks to prevent such vulnerabilities. This includes adopting better policies around web browsing, minimizing data collection by trackers, and enhancing privacy protections for sensitive information. For those interested in design and tech, this serves as a critical reminder of the importance of secure system architecture and user privacy in safeguarding national security.

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Originally published on Fast Company Tech on 2/24/2026