Starlink users around the world can reportedly be tracked and in some cases identified using technologies developed by Israeli cyber intelligence firms. [Getty]
Israeli cyber intelligence firms have developed technologies capable of tracking Starlink users worldwide and, in some cases, identifying the people behind the accounts, according to an investigation published by Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
The report said two Israeli-linked companies had developed systems capable of locating Starlink satellite terminals globally without directly hacking or intercepting the network itself.
The technologies instead rely on “data fusion” techniques that combine large volumes of digital and geolocation data to map terminal locations and to attempt to connect online activity to real-world identities, according to the report.
Starlink, owned by Elon Musk through SpaceX, has become a key communications tool in conflict zones and under internet blackouts because it allows users to connect independently of national infrastructure.
The service has been widely used by Ukrainian forces during the war with Russia, by protesters in Iran to bypass internet restrictions, and by aid workers in the Gaza Strip.
Haaretz said the Israeli systems were marketed to governments for counterterrorism, sanctions enforcement and security purposes. The newspaper cited sales material and live demonstrations showing the technology tracking terminals across the Middle East, the Gulf, Russia, China and maritime regions.
One previously unknown company identified in the investigation, TargetTeam, reportedly operates from Cyprus and has developed a system called “Stargetz” that can monitor nearly 1 million Starlink terminals worldwide.
The report said the system claimed to monitor internet access for up to 5.5 million connected devices and could “de-anonymise” around 200,000 terminals by linking them to identifying data.
Haaretz also said another Israeli cyber intelligence company, Rayzone, sells similar Starlink-monitoring capabilities as part of a broader suite of intelligence and data-analysis tools overseen by the Israeli defence ministry.
The newspaper said the technologies represented a major shift from older satellite interception methods because Starlink’s network of more than 8,000 low-Earth orbit satellites makes traditional signal interception “physically impossible”.
Instead, companies increasingly rely on large-scale analysis of advertising identifiers, browsing traces, social media activity and mobile communication data.
Donncha Ó Cearbhaill, head of security at Amnesty International’s Security Lab, warned that such capabilities posed risks to journalists, activists and civilians living under internet shutdowns or in conflict zones.
“For people living under internet shutdowns, blockades and active conflict, satellite services like Starlink are often the last remaining channel to call for help,” he said.
The investigation also linked the technologies to a wider trend in cyber intelligence moving away from traditional spyware tools such as Pegasus and toward mass data analysis and surveillance models similar to those used by Palantir Technologies.
SpaceX and Starlink did not respond to TNA’s request for comment at the time of publication.
