Kaspersky Blog – 4.17.24
The industrial scale of surveillance of internet users is a topic we keep returning to. Every click on a website, every scroll in a mobile app, and every word you type into a search bar is tracked by dozens of tech companies and advertising firms. And it affects not only phones and computers, but also smart watches, smart TVs and speakers — even cars. As it turns out, these motherlodes of information are used not only by advertisers offering vacuum cleaners or travel insurance. Through various intermediary companies, this data is snapped up by security agencies of all stripes: police, intelligence, you name it. See here for the latest investigation into such practices, focusing on the Patternz platform and the “advertising” firm Nuviad. Previously, similar investigations probed Rayzone, Near Intelligence, and others. These companies, their jurisdictions of incorporation, and their client lists vary, but the general formula is always the same: collect and save proprietary information generated by advertising, then resell it to law enforcement agencies worldwide.
Source: How to prevent surveillance through banner ads | Kaspersky official blog