October 27, 2026
New digital security data raised broad questions about the possibility of using the electronic advertising market as a tool for tracking and monitoring, after technical investigations and research revealed extensive activity by an Israeli company that targeted users of the “Starlink” satellite Internet service in more than 100 countries, including countries subject to restrictions or bans on the service, amid suspicions that the activity went beyond commercial objectives to determining users’ locations and collecting their data.
Reuters quoted six knowledgeable people as saying that researchers at Trend Micro, a Japanese cybersecurity company based in Tokyo, found, through its analysis unit, Trend AI, that the Israeli company Discover Tech, which specializes in advertising technology, was one of the largest entities offering digital ads to Starlink users, and ranked first among bidders for advertising space directed to the SpaceX service in more than 100 countries.
A report issued by the Trend AI unit on October 15 indicated that the bidding patterns appeared suspicious and suggested the management of a targeting and tracking infrastructure rather than traditional commercial activity. The entity was the largest buyer of advertising space in Syria, Libya, Yemen, and South Sudan, and the second largest in Afghanistan, despite the limited commercial demand there, in addition to its acquisition of dominant shares in Hungary, Israel, Egypt, Azerbaijan, and Venezuela.
On the same date, the Canadian “Citizen Lab” laboratory and the American “Conviant” company revealed the name “Discover Tech”, pointing to the abuse of the advertising bidding mechanism that leads to leaking, collecting, and classifying user data to reveal their true identities, track their activity, and perhaps prepare them to be targeted with spyware and surveillance software. The two sides confirmed that the advertisements appeared within sensitive networks of media institutions, government institutions, and technology companies.
Against the backdrop of these data, Google and other companies announced the exclusion of Discover Tech from their advertising platforms, while a major American technology company and an international organization opened internal investigations to verify whether the ads had targeted their employees. On the other hand, SpaceX, Discover Tech, and its CEO did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
The Trend AI report did not explicitly mention the name “Discover Tech” and merely used the code “Shadow Earth-79.” The sources confirmed that the researchers were convinced of the company’s responsibility and withdrew from revealing its name publicly following legal concerns raised by executive officials, in a practice described as usual in the cybersecurity sector for fear of legal and commercial repercussions.
These developments re-highlight the risks of the digital advertising market and the possibility of it becoming, through misuse of bidding data, a channel for collecting accurate information and determining users’ locations and digital behavior, especially in conflict zones and countries that have imposed communications restrictions.
