I'm posting me reply here, as the original comment just stating "Holy cow, and 80% of them are Israeli companies" was for no obvious reason within minutes downvoted and now even flagged (at the bottom of the page).

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Israel’s private, for-profit surveillance industry is notorious for being the largest in the world, often collaborating with dictatorships and authoritarian regimes as long as the price is right.

I remember one undercover report (German) exposing how one Israeli company openly boasted about operating thousands of fake Facebook profiles, using them to manipulate public opinion in favor of their paying clients.

> Israel has transformed its military intelligence capabilities into the world's most sophisticated surveillance technology export industry. From Unit 8200's cyber warfare origins to NSO Group's Pegasus spyware, Israeli companies have become the global leaders in surveillance technology - selling oppression as a service to authoritarian regimes worldwide.

https://stateofsurveillance.org/articles/government/israel-s...

Other sources: - https://www.timesofisrael.com/facebook-targets-7-cyber-firms... - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/25/microsoft-bloc...

PS: Israel has also faced allegations of leveraging its expansive private intelligence networks—including orchestrated fake profiles—to influence public voting in high-profile events like the Eurovision Song Contest.

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PPS: I wouldn't be surprised the private intelligence sector is also actively monitoring HN and trying to sway it as demonstrated by the immediate downvoted/flagging of the harmless comment above.

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