Tag: online advertising
8 articles

Citizen Lab Exposes Candiru Spyware Infections Through Targeted Online Ads
Meet the sneaky spyware that can infect your device with just a single online ad - no clicks required. Citizen Lab researchers uncovered a cunning ad-delivery chain used by Discover-Tech to spread zero-click spyware, infecting targets with alarming precision.

Adtech Firm Exposes Online Ads as Spyware Vector
Meet Discover-Tech, an Israeli adtech firm with a shady secret: its Controlium platform has been caught exploiting online ads to spy on users across over 70,000 mobile apps and 120,000 websites.
DecryptAds Exposes Adtech Ecosystem's Hidden Trackers
Ever wondered who's really behind the ads you see online? A single search on DecryptAds for a popular site like espn.com uncovers a staggering 143 ad partners and 19 data broker domains, revealing the surprisingly complex adtech ecosystem.

AI Crawlers Exposed to Secret Ads in Web Pages
Imagine discovering hidden ads that can influence the output of entire AI models, allowing advertisers to reach a vast audience with a single placement - and get their message served up as fact. German developer Vincent Schmalbach stumbled upon these secret ads, cleverly disguised as FAQs, embedded in Time Magazine articles served to crawlers.

DuckDuckGo Browser Enhances Ad Blocking with YouTube Video Ad Filter
Say goodbye to annoying YouTube ads - DuckDuckGo's browser now blocks most video ads, giving you a seamless viewing experience with uninterrupted playback. With this update, you can enjoy your favorite videos ad-free on iOS, Mac, and Windows devices, and easily enable it on Android too.

Google Expands Ad Personalization Using IP Addresses in UK, EU
Get ready for a change in ad personalization: on August 3, 2026, Google will start using IP addresses to tailor ads to individual devices across the UK, EU, and Switzerland. This update, framed around privacy-enhancing technologies, will allow for more targeted advertising using data that's already being collected.

Lawsuit Alleges Dating App Meete Exploits Users' Likenesses
A Tennessee lawsuit claims dating app Meete used a young woman's TikTok video in an ad without her consent, sparking concerns over user exploitation. The case highlights the alarming trend of apps profiting from users' likenesses without permission.

Google Fortifies Ad Ecosystem, Cracks Down on 8.3B Policy-Violating Ads
Google is taking a giant leap in protecting user privacy and cracking down on fraud, having blocked over 8.3 billion ads and suspended 24.9 million accounts in a single year. This bold move is part of a broader effort to reshape how apps handle sensitive data, with a focus on transparency and security.