DiscoverTech linked to Starlink ad bids in 105 countries

TrendAI data showed that an advertiser identified by six people familiar with the research as Israeli firm DiscoverTech was the leading bidder for ads shown to Starlink traffic in 105 countries, raising concern that online advertising auctions could be used to locate or monitor users. The findings do not establish that any Starlink subscriber was successfully tracked or infected with spyware. TrendAI, the research division of cybersecurity company Trend Micro, published its analysis on October 15 under the name ShadowEarth79, without publicly identifying a company. Its data showed the entity accounted for 12.9% of winning bids in the Starlink traffic it observed, compared with 2.6% across general traffic. Six people familiar with the research later told Reuters that ShadowEarth79 referred to DiscoverTech. The identification has not been publicly made by TrendAI. The entity ranked first for Starlink ad bids in countries including Syria, Libya, Yemen and South Sudan, and second in Afghanistan. TrendAI assessed that the bidding pattern was more consistent with targeting and tracking infrastructure than ordinary commercial advertising. Its analysis was based on advertising...