Discover-Tech, an Israeli advertising technology company is facing scrutiny over allegations that it used digital advertising systems to track and profile Starlink users around the world, including in Malaysia. According to a report by Reuters, cybersecurity researchers at TrendAI believe the firm was among the biggest buyers of digital advertisements shown to users of SpaceX’s satellite internet service. Its bidding activity was unusually high in more than 100 countries, including places where Starlink is banned or restricted.
TrendAI’s research, published on 15 October, identified the company under the codename SHADOW-EARTH-79 without publicly naming Discover-Tech. The researchers’ findings suggest that the activity could be part of a surveillance operation rather than an ordinary advertising campaign.
