Starlink users at risk of being tracked and spied on through online ads: Report

Starlink users may be at risk of being tracked and spied through online advertisements, according to researchers cited by Reuters. An Israeli advertising technology company, Discover-Tech, allegedly targeted Starlink users across the world in a possible surveillance effort. Researchers at TrendAI, a cybersecurity unit of Japan-based Trend Micro, found that the company was among the biggest bidders for ads shown to Starlink users. The investigation found that Discover-Tech ranked first in ad bidding on Starlink traffic in more than 100 countries, including places where the satellite internet service is banned or restricted.

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The findings were based on digital advertising data collected by TrendAI. The researchers believe that these advertisements may have been used to identify users’ locations or monitor their online activities, according to Reuters.

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TrendAI published a report on October 15 about the activity but did not name the company. Instead, it referred to the suspected advertiser as “Shadow-Earth-79.” TrendAI said its approach to attribution was designed to reduce the risk of mistakes and avoid “hype-driven labels” or “unstable actor names that can mislead defenders, distort risk prioritization, and trigger inappropriate response actions.”

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The alleged activity highlights how online advertising systems can be misused to collect information about users. Advertisers take part in automated auctions to display ads on websites and apps. The Israeli company abused the ad bidding process, which can leak user data to bidders. If collected over time and combined with other data, this information can help identify people, track their online movements and potentially target them with surveillance software, according to the report.

On October 15, Canada’s Citizen Lab and New York-based advertising technology firm Confiant also named Discover-Tech in their investigations. Following these investigations, Google, Comcast and other companies said they had removed Discover-Tech from their advertising platforms. 

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Ayushi Jain

Ayushi works as Chief Copy Editor at Digit, covering everything from breaking tech news to in-depth smartphone reviews. Prior to Digit, she was part of the editorial team at IANS. View Full Profile