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.
The Citizen Lab
Related Coverage
- Orbán's Spying Kit Revealed: Israeli Surveillance Tool Combined with Hungarian Technology VSquare.org · Szabolcs Panyi
- Citizen Lab: Law Enforcement Used Webloc to Track 500 Million Devices via Ad Data The Hacker News
- Webloc surveillance system tracks millions using mobile ad data CyberInsider · Alex Lekander
- NEW REPORT: We uncover how a geolocation surveillance system called Webloc monitors hundreds of millions of people based on data purchased from consumer apps and digital advertising. … The Citizen Lab
Discussion
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@jsrailton
John Scott-Railton
on x
@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…
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@jsrailton
John Scott-Railton
on x
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]
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@citizenlab
@citizenlab
on x
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/...
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@jsrailton
John Scott-Railton
on bluesky
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. …
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@digitalwarrior
@digitalwarrior
on bluesky
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...
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@rondeibert
Ron Deibert
on bluesky
“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...
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@campuscodi.risky.biz
Catalin Cimpanu
on bluesky
“Intelligence agencies of Viktor Orbán's government have been secretly using Webloc — a mass surveillance tool that tracks hundreds of millions of people via smartphone advertising data — making Hungary the first confirmed EU country to deploy it” — vsquare.org/orban-spying...