Penlink's Webloc ad-data location surveillance tool used by police and security agencies in numerous countries
Matéria consolidada. Reúne 2 matérias que o Tifon tinha publicado separadamente sobre a mesma história. A IA reescreveu o relatório com o que as 2 fontes trouxeram em 13/11/2026 00:04; os links antigos trazem para cá.
Fontes: citizenlab.ca ↗ schneier.com ↗
Penlink's Webloc is a surveillance tool that aggregates location data drawn from smartphone apps and online advertising data, letting agencies reconstruct where phones have been and track them nearly in real time. A Bloomberg investigation, building on prior Citizen Lab research, found that security agencies in numerous countries use it, including the US, UK, Germany and Mexico (citizenlab.ca). It was originally used by military and intelligence agencies before being adopted by federal, state and local law enforcement (citizenlab.ca). Privacy and legal concerns are significant: collection is continuous and comprehensive and relies on everyday apps, without users' direct awareness or consent (schneier.com), and the risks are especially serious in authoritarian states (citizenlab.ca).
Detalhes técnicos
- Data sources: popular smartphone apps, including weather, gaming, email and religious apps (schneier.com).
- Capability: a history of a phone's locations over the past year, updatable hourly to approximate real-time tracking (schneier.com).
- Query model: authorities can focus on specific places and times and search billions of location data points to identify all phones present (schneier.com).
- Customer identification: Citizen Lab used open source intelligence, FOI requests and infrastructure mapping, confirming deployments in the US, El Salvador, Hungary and Austria; Bloomberg added more countries (citizenlab.ca).
Linha do tempo
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Global Security Agencies Deploy Penlink’s Webloc Ad-Based Surveillance Technology
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An investigation by Bloomberg, building upon Citizen Lab's prior research, reveals that Penlink's ad-based surveillance system, Webloc, is utilized by security agencies across numerous countries, including the US, UK, Germany, Mexico, and others. The system enables powerful mass surveillance through tracking online advertising data, originally employed by military and intelligence agencies before adoption by federal, state, and local law enforcement. Citizen Lab's research identified customers via open source intelligence, FOI requests, and infrastructure mapping, confirming deployments in the US, El Salvador, Hungary, and Austria, with Bloomberg adding more countries. The use of this intrusive surveillance technology raises serious legal and ethical concerns, especially in authoritarian states.
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Penlink’s Webloc Enables Police to Locate Individuals Using Smartphone App Data
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Penlink's Webloc application is a law enforcement tool that aggregates extensive location data from popular smartphone applications, including weather, gaming, email, and religious apps. This data provides a detailed history of a smartphone's locations over the past year and can be updated hourly to track movements nearly in real-time. Authorities can use Webloc to focus on specific locations and times, accessing billions of location data points to identify all phones present. This method raises significant privacy concerns due to continuous and comprehensive tracking capabilities derived from everyday apps, without direct user awareness or consent. The tool represents an advanced surveillance capability employed by police agencies.