Israeli ad network used for espionage
An investigation has revealed that the Israeli digital advertising company "DiscoverTech" used a widespread network of online ads to track various users and collect their data. This included attempts to hack into their devices through spyware developed by the company "Candeiro," which has been blacklisted by the United States since 2021. Reports indicate that the company's ads reached more than 120,000 websites and 75,000 apps, broadcasting approximately 10 million ads daily. This enabled "DiscoverTech" to gather information and data about users, including attempts to extract phone numbers from some smartphones. It also emerged that the spyware was used to target 45 Windows-based devices belonging to Al Jazeera’s network during 2024 and 2025, through ads connected to "DiscoverTech." Al Jazeera condemned the targeting of its staff with spyware, reaffirming its measures to protect its team and calling for accountability of those responsible. The network considered the targeting of journalists to be an assault on media freedom and the public's right to know. Furthermore, investigations showed that the company's ads appeared across networks linked to the Pentagon, the United Nations, and other international organizations. They were also heavily present in the Palestinian territories, providing a broad scope for digital activity tracking. Following the findings, actions were taken to ban "DiscoverTech" by Google, remove "Pezoax," a subsidiary of Comcast, and suspend its accreditation by the European Digital Marketing Association. Nonetheless, reports confirm that further investigations are ongoing to take necessary measures to safeguard individuals and organizations.
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