China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) published an article warning that foreign intelligence services are exploiting online pop-up advertisements to conduct intelligence collection, target identification, and ideological infiltration. According to the MSS, it recently discovered that unidentified overseas links were being distributed through online advertising platforms.
The article alleges that foreign intelligence services have collaborated with certain advertising companies to exploit targeted advertising technologies for intelligence purposes. Data collected through mobile applications—including personal information, user interests, and behavioral data—can reportedly be combined with social media information and high-precision geolocation data to build detailed profiles of individuals, including their home addresses, workplaces, and daily travel patterns, potentially facilitating recruitment and espionage activities. The MSS further claims that foreign actors have used content delivery networks (CDNs) to embed links to anti-China websites within pop-up advertisements, allowing such content to circumvent China’s internet controls and be covertly distributed to domestic users.
The MSS urged online platform operators to strengthen oversight of third-party advertising, rigorously vet advertising content, and block advertisements from unverified sources. It also advised users to minimize app permissions for location, photo libraries, and contacts, disable ad tracking where possible, avoid clicking suspicious pop-up advertisements, and report anti-government or other suspicious content through China’s national security reporting channels.
Source: CCTV, June 21, 2026
https://news.cctv.com/2026/06/21/ARTI0fUXtvc3WAUaxLKcYKcX260621.shtml