Citizen Lab: Law Enforcement Used Webloc to Track 500 Million Devices via Ad Data

Citizen Lab has identified that multiple government agencies—including Hungarian domestic intelligence, El Salvador's national police, and U.S. law enforcement—have utilized a commercial surveillance system called Webloc to track approximately 500 million devices globally. Developed by Israeli company Cobwebs Technologies (now Penlink following a 2023 merger), the tool exploits advertising data to conduct mass geolocation surveillance without requiring targets to click on malicious links. This operation raises significant privacy concerns, as it enables law enforcement to track individuals' movements en masse through legitimate ad infrastructure. Organizations should implement ad tracker blockers, monitor for unusual advertising ID access, and review privacy settings on mobile devices to mitigate exposure to such surveillance techniques.

Hungarian domestic intelligence, the national police in El Salvador, and several U.S. law enforcement and police departments have been attributed to the use of an advertising-based global geolocation surveillance system called Webloc. The tool was developed by Israeli company Cobwebs Technologies and is now sold by its successor Penlink after the two firms merged in July 2023

Citizen Lab has identified that multiple government agencies—including Hungarian domestic intelligence, El Salvador's national police, and U.S. law enforcement—have utilized a commercial surveillance system called Webloc to track approximately 500 million devices globally. Developed by Israeli company Cobwebs Technologies (now Penlink following a 2023 merger), the tool exploits advertising data to conduct mass geolocation surveillance without requiring targets to click on malicious links. This operation raises significant privacy concerns, as it enables law enforcement to track individuals' movements en masse through legitimate ad infrastructure. Organizations should implement ad tracker blockers, monitor for unusual advertising ID access, and review privacy settings on mobile devices to mitigate exposure to such surveillance techniques. Hungarian domestic intelligence, the national police in El Salvador, and several U.S. law enforcement and police departments have been attributed to the use of an advertising-based global geolocation surveillance system called Webloc. The tool was developed by Israeli company Cobwebs Technologies and is now sold by its successor Penlink after the two firms merged in July 2023 Hungarian domestic intelligence, the national police in El Salvador, and several U.S. law enforcement and police departments have been attributed to the use of an advertising-based global geolocation surveillance system called Webloc. The tool was developed by Israeli company Cobwebs Technologies and is now sold by its successor Penlink after the two firms merged in July 2023