How Ad Tech Exposed French Spies—And Why Your Email Isn't Safe Either

A recent investigation by Le Monde revealed something shocking: journalists used commercially available advertising data to identify French intelligence officers, military personnel, and elite police units. They didn't hack anything. They simply bought data that's traded every day in a $294 billion industry.

If trained spies can't escape ad tech surveillance, what chance do the rest of us have?

The Investigation That Exposed National Security

Le Monde's journalists purchased location datasets from commercial data brokers the same companies that supply targeting data to advertisers. By analyzing device movements, they identified phones that spent nights at residential addresses and days at sensitive government facilities.

Cross referencing this data with public records (LinkedIn profiles, property registrations, social media), they successfully identified:

• DGSE intelligence officers (France's equivalent of the CIA)
• Elite police protection units
• Military personnel at nuclear facilities
• Defense industry executives

The individuals exposed hadn't made any mistakes. They were simply using smartphones with normal apps weather, news, games, social media. The problem isn't user behavior. It's structural.

How the Advertising Surveillance Machine Works

Every smartphone carries a unique advertising identifier: the AAID on Android, IDFA on Apple devices. Apps embedded with advertising SDKs collect this identifier along with your location (via GPS, WiFi networks, Bluetooth beacons), IP address, and usage patterns.

This data flows to data brokers who package and sell it to anyone willing to pay. According to The Markup, brokers can provide access to tens of billions of data points covering large swaths of the population for just $10,000 to $50,000 per year. Research suggests roughly 80% of Android devices and 25% of iPhones can be located through this data.

The market is massive. Over 4,000 data brokerage companies operate globally, with industry leaders like Acxiom maintaining repositories of more than 2.5 billion consumer records with 12,000+ data attributes per person.

The Same Technology Lives in Your Inbox

Here's what most people don't realize: the advertising surveillance infrastructure doesn't stop at your phone. It extends directly into your email.

Tracking pixels—tiny, invisible images embedded in emails work on the same principle as mobile advertising SDKs. When you open an email containing a tracking pixel, it silently reports:

• Your IP address (revealing your approximate location)
• When you opened the email
• What device you used
• Your operating system and email client
• Whether you forwarded the email

Research shows that nearly every promotional email contains at least one tracking pixel. Studies have found invisible tracking pixels present on over 94% of analyzed domains. And standard privacy tools like filter lists miss around 30% of trackers.

The consequences are real. In 2024, Kaiser Permanente disclosed that tracking pixels leaked personal data including names and IP addresses—of 13.4 million patients to third parties like Google and Microsoft. A wave of lawsuits in Arizona targeted major brands including Target, Gap, and Lowe's for using hidden pixels to track email recipients.

Why Even Experts Can't Escape

The Le Monde investigation proves a disturbing truth: expertise doesn't protect you. French intelligence officers receive extensive security training. They understand surveillance. Yet the passive nature of ad tech tracking operating silently through everyday apps and emails—makes it nearly impossible to avoid without specialized tools.

As Proton noted in their analysis: "When an entire industry is built around constant location surveillance, even highly trained professionals can't avoid being tracked. And neither can you."

This isn't about being paranoid. It's about understanding that your digital footprint is being monetized, packaged, and sold—often to buyers whose intentions you'll never know.

Protecting Yourself from Email Surveillance

While you can't singlehandedly dismantle the ad tech ecosystem, you can protect your inbox:

1. Block tracking pixels automatically

Tools like Gblock for Gmail automatically detect and neutralize tracking pixels before they can report your data. You'll see which emails attempted to track you without exposing your information.

2. Disable automatic image loading

Most email tracking requires images to load. Blocking external images by default prevents most tracking pixels from functioning—though this can break legitimate email formatting.

3. Use a VPN

Even if a pixel loads, a VPN masks your real IP address, preventing location inference.

4. Delete your advertising ID

On Android, go to Settings → Google → Ads → Delete advertising ID. On iPhone, go to Settings → Privacy → Tracking and disable "Allow Apps to Request to Track."

5. Audit your app permissions

Review which apps have location access. Revoke permissions for apps that don't genuinely need your location.

The Bigger Picture

The French intelligence exposure isn't an isolated incident. It's a symptom of a surveillance economy that operates with minimal oversight and maximum reach. The same data flows that compromise national security are harvesting information about your daily routine, your interests, your contacts through your phone and your inbox.

Understanding this isn't about fear. It's about making informed choices. Every email you open, every app you install, every permission you grant feeds a system designed to track, profile, and monetize your behavior.

The good news: awareness is the first step toward protection. Tools exist to block email tracking, mask your location, and limit data collection. The question is whether you'll use them or continue feeding a machine that even trained spies couldn't escape.

Protect your inbox. Take control of your data. Gblock has you covered!