GoKawiilLocation data collected from mobile apps and digital advertising can reveal habits, interests and almost any other aspect of someone’s life. In this report, we uncover how a geolocation surveillance system called Webloc uses ad-based data to monitor hundreds of millions of people across the globe.
Key Findings Webloc is a global geolocation surveillance system that monitors hundreds of millions of people based on data purchased from consumer apps and digital advertising. It was developed by Cobwebs Technologies and is now sold by its successor Penlink.
In collaboration with the European investigative journalism platform VSquare, we reveal that Hungarian domestic intelligence has been using Webloc since at least 2022 and continues to use it as of today. Webloc customers also include the national police in El Salvador.
U.S. customers include ICE, the U.S. military, Texas Department of Public Safety, DHS West Virginia, NYC district attorneys, and several police departments in Los Angeles, Dallas, Baltimore, Tucson, Durham and in smaller cities and counties like City of Elk Grove and Pinal County.
Based on the responses to 96 freedom of information requests we conclude that governments in Europe and the U.K. are highly nontransparent about their potential use of ad-based surveillance.
Cobwebs Technologies has links to the spyware vendor Quadream through Cobwebs Technologies founder Omri Timianker, who now oversees the international operations of Penlink.
Webloc is sold as an add-on product to the social media and web intelligence system Tangles. Based on technical analysis and other sources we show that Tangles and other products developed by Cobwebs Technologies are used in many countries across the globe.
We briefly investigate another Cobwebs product named Trapdoor that appears to help trick victims into revealing information. Our analysis leads us to believe that Trapdoor can help facilitate the deployment of malware on devices.
Introduction
Targeted and mass surveillance based on everyday consumer data from mobile apps and digital advertising has been referred to as advertising intelligence (ADINT). We refer to it as “ad-based surveillance technologies.” These technologies have proliferated alongside the personal data surveillance economy. They are poorly regulated and often sold by firms that operate without transparency, raising serious security, privacy, and civil liberties concerns – especially when used by authoritarian governments that lack proper oversight.
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