{
  "id": 17001398,
  "title": "Starlink users heavily surveilled by alleged Israeli spy firm — company served ads to geolocate users and spy on browsers and apps",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/starlink-users-heavily-surveilled-by-alleged-israeli-spy-firm-company",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-29T03:05:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TechRadar",
    "slug": "techradar",
    "url": "https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/starlink-users-heavily-surveilled-by-alleged-israeli-spy-firm-company-served-ads-to-geolocate-users-and-spy-on-browsers-and-apps"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "An Israeli company, Discover-Tech, is alleged to have conducted a large-scale spy campaign targeting Starlink users, according to research by digital defense firm Trend Micro's AI cybersecurity unit TrendAI. The company allegedly served malicious advertisements to Starlink users across over 100 countries, including regions with Starlink restrictions. The ads did not require user interaction to collect data, and TrendAI's researchers found that Discover-Tech was the primary bidder on Starlink advertising traffic. The surveillance aimed to harvest user data across browsers and applications. Starlink's satellite-based internet connections, which bypass local restrictions, make them attractive targets for governments seeking to track users. TrendAI identified a \"clear skew\" towards targeting Starlink users, despite the lack of demand for legitimate Western advertising in sanctioned states. Google, Comcast, and other companies have since removed Discover-Tech from their platforms.",
  "summary": "Malicious ads were deliberately served to Starlink users to uncover their identity and launch further surveillance efforts.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Techmeme",
        "title": "Sources: Trend Micro's TrendAI found Israeli adtech company Discover-Tech heavily targeted Starlink users in 100+ countries, likely to geolocate or surveil them (Raphael Satter/Reuters)",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/sources-trend-micros-trendai-found-israeli-adtech-company-discover",
        "published": "2026-10-27T12:05:01.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Tom's Hardware",
        "title": "Israeli ad tech firm tied to suspected Starlink tracking effort, report claims",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/israeli-ad-tech-firm-tied-to-suspected-starlink-tracking-effort",
        "published": "2026-10-27T17:37:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "TechCentral",
        "title": "How online ads were used to hunt Starlink users",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/how-online-ads-were-used-to-hunt-starlink-users",
        "published": "2026-10-28T05:54:39.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Lowyat.NET",
        "title": "Israeli Ad Tech Firm Allegedly Targeted Starlink Users, Including In Malaysia",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/israeli-ad-tech-firm-allegedly-targeted-starlink-users-including-in",
        "published": "2026-10-28T10:09:28.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}