A recent study has found that over one in eight mobile apps used by US military personnel contain code from foreign companies, raising serious concerns about data security. Researchers examined more than 220 applications ranging from uniform guides to banking tools and discovered that 64% of them included third-party software components (SDKs) which can track user locations and share this information with outside entities.

The stakes are high, especially as foreign adversaries could potentially use this data to target or surveil military personnel. The study identified popular apps with code from Huawei, a company flagged by US regulators in 2020 for national security risks, alongside Russian ad services like Yandex. Moreover, even apps that were not intended for civilian use exposed sensitive information.

This isn't just an issue for active-duty service members; it affects their families and close-knit military communities. Over 83% of participants in the survey reported using at least one app with practices they found uncomfortable. The lack of clear guidance on personal app usage from institutions only adds to the confusion.

While some potential mitigations like in-phone warnings were well-received, the broader issue remains: how can users and developers ensure that military apps are not unwittingly facilitating data collection by foreign entities? As ever with technology, the devil is often in the details.