Researchers at TrendAI, Trend Micro’s AI cybersecurity unit, say an advertising campaign targeted Starlink users in more than 100 countries. Their findings are based on analysis of digital advertising data.
The researchers said Israeli company Discover-Tech was the top bidder on advertising traffic associated with Starlink. TrendAI initially referred to the suspected operator as “Shadow-Earth-79” and did not directly identify Discover-Tech as responsible. The reported activity involved ads designed to collect user data across browsers and apps, potentially enabling further surveillance. The ads could begin tracking when served, without being clicked, according to the report.
TrendAI reported a marked focus on ad space likely to reach Starlink users. Discover-Tech was the top ad buyer in Syria, Libya, Yemen and South Sudan, despite what the researchers described as effectively no demand for legitimate Western advertising in sanctioned or active-conflict states.
TechRadar reports that Discover-Tech had previously been alleged to target Al Jazeera journalists with malicious ads, citing research by Citizen Lab. Google, Comcast and other companies have since removed Discover-Tech from their advertising platforms, according to the report. The allegations about the company’s surveillance activity have not been independently established in the supplied source.
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