A global spy tool exposed the locations of billions of people, highlighting a pervasive and unregulated source of data that fuels government surveillance, national security risks, and easy access to personal online activity. The process called “real-time bidding” (RTB) delivers targeted ads while exposing your information to thousands of advertisers and data brokers.
RTB is a process used by nearly every website and app to select targeted ads. When you visit a site with ad space, it asks an ad auction company to determine which ads to display. RTB broadcasts personal data to hundreds of companies daily, without oversight on how this information is used.
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken action against the abuse of bidstream data from RTB auctions, targeting Mobilewalla’s practice of collecting consumer data without placing ads. The FTC’s proposed settlement order bans Mobilewalla from collecting data for purposes other than participating in RTB auctions.
RTB is exploited by governments for surveillance. Researchers have demonstrated that targeted ad data can be used to track individuals’ locations and glean sensitive information like religion and sexual orientation. Data brokers have sold bidstream data to government intelligence agencies, while companies like Rayzone and Patternz sell tracking tools based on the same advertising auctions.
The process also creates national security risks by allowing foreign states and non-state actors to obtain compromising personal data about American defense personnel and political leaders. Google’s ad auctions sent sensitive data to a Russian ad company for months after it was sanctioned by the US Treasury.
To protect yourself, you can disable your mobile advertising ID or audit app permissions on apps, install Privacy Badger on websites, or use other browser extensions to block online trackers. However, advertisers constantly find new ways to collect and exploit your data.
The best way to prevent online ads from fueling surveillance is to ban online behavioral advertising. This would end the practice of targeting ads based on your online activity, removing the primary incentive for companies to track and share your personal data. It would also prevent your personal data from being broadcast to data brokers through RTB auctions.
Source: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/01/online-behavioral-ads-fuel-surveillance-industry-heres-how