According to a report published on 28 October by Reuters and carried by news.az, the Israeli advertising-technology company Discover-Tech is the firm behind an advertising campaign that targeted users of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service in more than 100 countries. Reuters cited six people familiar with the matter.
The campaign was first documented on 15 October by TrendAI, the artificial-intelligence cybersecurity unit of Tokyo-based Trend Micro, in a report issued through the company’s research hub that described the party responsible only as an “ad tech entity” and gave it the codename “Shadow-Earth-79.” The six sources told Reuters that codename referred to Discover-Tech.
Key facts
- TrendAI researchers, working from the unit’s own digital advertising telemetry, concluded Discover-Tech was among the largest sources of adverts shown to Starlink users and the top bidder for Starlink traffic in more than 100 countries, Reuters reported. Our earlier coverage put TrendAI’s figure at 105 countries.
- That total includes several countries where the satellite internet service is banned or restricted, according to Reuters.
- The adverts were likely being used to determine users’ locations or otherwise monitor them, the six sources said.
- Google, Comcast and multiple other companies have since removed Discover-Tech from their ad platforms, according to a report published on 28 October by Yahoo.
- Thirteen days separated TrendAI’s 15 October codename report and the 28 October reports naming the firm.
- SpaceX did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. Discover-Tech and its chief executive also did not respond over a two-week period.
Why it matters
Reuters reported that efforts to track Starlink users have become an increasingly specialised industry as governments worldwide seek to control the spread of satellite internet terminals. Because the terminals route data through satellites operated by SpaceX rather than nationally regulated telecoms companies, Reuters noted, they can bypass local internet restrictions, keep communications running in hostile areas and support battlefield coordination.
That is the same property that, according to the Yahoo report, makes the terminals attractive targets for governments or authorities wanting to locate units on their territory.
How the alleged campaign worked
Bidding, as Reuters explained, is the auction system through which advertisers compete for space in users’ browsers and applications. The Yahoo report says Discover-Tech abused that bidding process to serve adverts that harvest critical data about the users who see them, across browsers and applications.
According to that report, the advert does not have to be clicked: as long as it is served to the user, it can begin tracking. Some adverts can collect data as the user moves around the internet, building what the report calls a de-anonymised profile that can set the person up for further surveillance. For practical steps, see our earlier piece on what Starlink users can do now.
Where the bidding skewed
TrendAI researchers noted an “obvious skew” towards bidding on advertising space that would reach Starlink users, according to the Yahoo report, which says Discover-Tech was the number one ad buyer across Syria, Libya, Yemen and South Sudan. As Yahoo put it, “the demand for legitimate Western advertising in sanctioned or active-conflict states is effectively zero.”
Those four markets are a small fraction of the 105-country footprint described in our earlier coverage of how the firm dominated the bidding for Starlink ad space in more than 100 countries, but they are where the pattern was most visible, because almost no commercial advertiser competes there. The sources do not identify any other specific country, and they do not name any client, government or agency as a buyer of the data.
Why TrendAI withheld the name
TrendAI did not directly address Reuters’ questions about why it had not publicly named the company, Reuters reported. In a statement, the unit said its attribution approach was designed to reduce the risk of errors and to avoid “hype-driven labels” or “unstable actor names that can mislead defenders, distort risk prioritization, and trigger inappropriate response actions.”
Background: blackouts and shutdowns
Because Starlink terminals route traffic through satellites in orbit, the Yahoo report says, they are a useful way to stay connected during blackouts — such as those experienced by Ukraine — or government-enforced internet shutdowns, such as those that affected Iran at the start of 2026.
Reuters added that Starlink has become particularly important in Ukraine, where the military relies on the service for frontline communications and to direct drone strikes.
What happens next
Neither source reports any regulatory investigation, fine or legal action against Discover-Tech. The only consequences described so far are commercial: the removals from ad platforms reported by Yahoo, including Google’s decision to cut the firm off. With Discover-Tech, its chief executive and SpaceX all silent, according to Reuters, the company’s account of the bidding activity remains unstated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Discover-Tech been accused of any other targeting campaign?
Yes. According to the Yahoo report, Discover-Tech is the same firm that Citizen Lab alleged earlier in October had targeted Al Jazeera journalists with malicious adverts. The sources do not say whether the two campaigns are connected.
Was this the first report that Israeli firms were tracking Starlink users?
No. Reuters, as carried by news.az, noted that in May the Israeli newspaper Haaretz and the website Intelligence Online separately reported that Israeli-owned businesses were offering clients ways to identify and track Starlink users. Haaretz reported that exploiting digital advertising data appeared to play a key role in those efforts.
Does Starlink itself serve these adverts?
No. The Yahoo report explains that Starlink only provides the internet connection, while the adverts are served on the webpages users visit — which is the critical piece of the alleged campaign, according to that report.
![Using Your Own Router with Starlink: Bypass Mode [2026]](https://starlink-news.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/using-your-own-router-with-starlink-bypass-mode-20-f6c09f95-120x86.png)
