Alleged Israeli spy company heavily targeted Starlink users, sources tell Reuters

Experts at a digital defense firm recently found that an Israeli ad tech company was heavily targeting users of Starlink's satellite internet service in a likely effort to spy on them, according to six people familiar with the matter.

Researchers at TrendAI, a unit of Tokyo-based cybersecurity company Trend Micro (4704.T), ‌concluded the Israeli company Discover-Tech was one of the biggest sources of digital ads shown to users of SpaceX's Starlink service and that the ads were likely being used to geolocate or otherwise surveil them, according to the six people.

The researchers, who drew on digital advertising data in TrendAI's telemetry for their conclusions, found that Discover-Tech had become one of the world’s leading bidders for ads aimed at Starlink users and that it was the No. 1 bidder on Starlink traffic in more than 100 countries, including several where Starlink itself was banned or restricted. Bidding refers to the complex auction system by which advertisers secure space inside people's browsers and apps.

Reuters