Army Issues New Policy to Search Deceased Soldiers’ Phones for Sensitive Info

The U.S. Army has introduced a new policy that allows officials to search the personal phones, laptops, and electronic devices of deceased soldiers for classified or sensitive information. As personal technology increasingly plays a significant role in military operations, this measure aims to enhance digital security.

This month's directive empowers the Joint Personal Effects Depot, the unit tasked with managing the belongings of deceased troops, to retain and examine personal devices. 

The review process will concentrate on pinpointing classified material, Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), operational data, and personally identifiable information (PII) that may present security threats.

“The policy was introduced to align with technological advancements and recognize that these devices have the capability to store and transmit sensitive information,” stated Lt. Col. Orlandon Howard, an Army spokesperson. The statement calls for legislation to fill existing voids in regulations concerning digital assets in times of conflict, especially for military personnel utilizing classified systems.

This issue is very real. Military personnel frequently keep non-classified yet sensitive information, such as alert rosters or deployment schedules, on their mobile devices. When these details are aggregated, they could potentially jeopardize security due to the principle of “classification by compilation.”

David Cook, an Army Reserve intelligence officer and national security expert, highlighted that smartphones function as “digital footprints,” which can disclose troop locations, movements, and operations if they are compromised. “We establish behavioral patterns of terrorists through their phones—the same could occur to us if we’re not vigilant,” he cautioned.

While military personnel are restricted from using personal devices for classified information, initiatives such as Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) create a gray area by permitting access to work applications and cloud services. This introduces a layer of intricacy regarding what is deemed “protected information,” especially in cases where photos or metadata are uploaded and subsequently breached.

The policy specifies that only data physically stored on devices will undergo screening; however, if there is evidence of files being synced to the cloud, investigators will be notified.

Retired Marine Lt. Col. Gary Barthel talked about the importance of the measure as a strategy for safeguarding personnel: “If there’s information on a fallen soldier’s device that could endanger an operation or lives, the military must take action.”

As the digital landscape expands, the Army’s latest regulation indicates a transition toward protecting operational confidentiality, not just on the battlefield but also within the personal devices of soldiers.

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