Report suspects Israeli firm used ads to track Starlink users

Cybersecurity researchers at TrendAI say an unnamed ad-tech operation, identified by six people familiar with the findings as Israeli company Discover-Tech, was among the leading bidders for ads shown to Starlink users in more than 100 countries. The researchers suspect the unusual bidding may have exploited data exposed through digital advertising auctions to identify users’ locations or enable surveillance; the activity included countries where Starlink is restricted or banned. TrendAI’s October 15 report used the codename “Shadow-Earth-79” and did not publicly name the company, saying its attribution approach is intended to reduce the risk of misidentification. The allegations raise security concerns because Starlink can bypass local internet controls and supports communications in conflict zones, including for Ukraine’s military; Discover-Tech and SpaceX did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment, according to the reports.