An investigation details Webloc, an ad-based geo surveillance system providing access to a constantly updated stream of records from up to 500M mobile devices
Location data collected from mobile apps and digital advertising can reveal habits, interests and almost any other aspect of someone's life.
NEW REPORT: “Uncovering Webloc: An Analysis of Penlink's Ad-based Geolocation Surveillance Tech” Our research confirms that ad-based surveillance tech Webloc is used by military, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies across the globe. https://citizenlab.ca/...
BREAKING: You checked the weather this morning. And you just told a surveillance company where you sleep. Meet #Webloc, used by ICE, cops & foreign govs to track 500m+ phones. No warrant required. Our latest @citizenlab investigation + how to protect yourself 🧵/1 [image]
“This represents the first confirmation of the use of ad-based surveillance technology in Europe.” - Uncovering Webloc: An Analysis of Penlink's Ad-based Geolocation Surveillance Tech citizenlab.ca/research/ana...
2/ What's new is not just the tech, but the pipeline: everyday commercial data becomes “investigative” location intelligence. The report lays out how geofencing, route mapping, and association-by-co-location can be built from this ecosystem: citizenlab.ca/research/ana...
6/ You're 🇪🇺European? Protected by #GDPR, right? — It may be a paper wall. — We sent 96 FOI requests & got some dubious answers. — Meanwhile our collaborator @szabolcspanyi.bsky.social found multiple intel agencies in 🇭🇺#Hungary using Cobweb products. …
@penlink ... 11/ Help starve the ADINT dragnet. Do this now: iPhone: ⚙️Settings➡️Privacy & Security➡️ Tracking Turn off “Allow Apps to Request to Track” Android: ⚙️Settings➡️Privacy ➡️ Ads ➡️Delete Advertising ID It's only a beginning, but you don't owe any of these companies a d…