Researchers from TrendAI, a division of Trend Micro, identified that the Israeli firm Discover-Tech purchased advertising impressions targeting Starlink users across more than 100 countries. Experts suggest this activity was likely used to track user locations and monitor online behavior by leveraging technical data obtained during real-time advertising auctions.
The investigation highlighted that Discover-Tech was the leading buyer of ad space in Syria, Libya, Yemen, and South Sudan, and held the second position in Afghanistan. TrendAI noted that this pattern of ad purchasing for Starlink users appeared to be a targeted data collection effort rather than standard marketing.
Following the disclosure of these activities, platforms including Google and Comcast removed Discover-Tech from their advertising networks. Citizen Lab and Confiant independently identified the company, which was initially referred to as Shadow-Earth-79 in the TrendAI report published on October 15.
While Discover-Tech, its CEO, and SpaceX have not commented on the findings, the situation has prompted internal investigations. At least one major American technology company and one international organization are currently reviewing their systems to determine if their employees were subject to data collection by the firm.
