Citizen Lab: Webloc tracked 500M devices for global law enforcement

(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) A report by Citizen Lab revealed that law enforcement agencies in the U.S., Hungary, and El Salvador used a surveillance tool called Webloc to track devices via advertising data, potentially affecting up to 500 million devices. Developed by Cobwebs Technologies and now sold by Penlink, the tool is widely used by agencies like ICE, the military, and multiple police departments. Cobwebs Technologies has links to spyware vendor Quadream through its founder. Its Webloc tool is sold alongside the Tangles intelligence platform and is used globally by law enforcement. “Our research shows that intrusive and legally questionable ad-based surveillance (i.e. without a warrant or adequate oversight) is being used by military, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies down to local police units in several countries across the globe.” reads the report published by Citizen Lab. – Citizen Lab: Webloc tracked 500M devices for global law enforcement