Israeli spy-linked apps exposed as fueling Tel Aviv's war economy
4 Min Read
An investigation reveals top mobile apps are tied to Israeli intelligence units, generating billions in revenue and fueling the Israeli occupation’s war economy.
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Two men hold up a banner and signs along Market Street during a tech workers' protest against Google and Amazon for their contracts with the Israeli government in San Francisco, Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022. (AP)
A new investigative report by Nate Bear for ¡Do Not Panic! has uncovered that dozens of popular mobile applications with billions of downloads are developed by companies founded and operated by former Israeli military and intelligence personnel, raising serious concerns about user privacy, data surveillance, and indirect support for the Israeli occupation's war economy.
These apps, which include image editors, games, transport services, and call-screening tools, are widely available on both Apple’s App Store and Google Play, yet often mask their Israeli origins behind complex ownership structures. While most users remain unaware of the links, these companies are reportedly generating significant revenue that, according to the investigation, is channeled into sustaining “Israel’s apartheid and genocidal policies.”
One of the most prominent companies highlighted is ZipoApps, founded by former Unit 8200 officers, whose products, including Collage Maker and Instasquare, have surpassed 100 million downloads. The report also draws attention to Lightricks, creators of the widely used Facetune, and Bazaart, an AI-powered editor, both co-founded by veterans of Israeli military intelligence.
Mobile games fund genocide
In the mobile gaming space, Supersonic, a subsidiary of Unity, reportedly generates over $23 million annually and counts billions of global installs. Its founder, Nadav Ashkenazy, served nearly eight years in the Israeli Air Force, rising to head of operations. Other major players include Crazy Labs, Playtika, and Call App, all with deep military ties and substantial revenue streams. Playtika alone reported over $2.5 billion in revenue, with 14% of its staff called up to serve in the unfolding genocide in Gaza.
The transport and urban mobility sector is not exempt. Moovit, a widely used transit app and official partner of major global sporting events, was founded by Mamram alumni, the Israeli occupation's elite military computing unit. Ride-hailing platform Gett and the well-known GPS app Waze also trace their origins to former Unit 8200 operatives.
Food-tracking app Fooducate, developed by Hemi Weingarten, a former Israeli Air Force pilot, is yet another example cited in the report of apps with concealed military ties finding broad international success and media endorsements.
Intelligence-gathering through apps
The investigation warns that the mass adoption of these apps enables large-scale data harvesting, potentially handing over users’ private data, including their biometrics, to developers linked to Israeli intelligence networks.
Bear argues that these platforms are not only integral to the Israeli economy but structurally tied to the regime's military-industrial complex, helping normalize and fund its policies of occupation, displacement, and war.
The exposé concludes by calling for the expansion of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign to include these digital products, offering consumers a new avenue to resist indirect complicity in the Israeli regime's actions.
Unit 8200 actively involved AI systems
The significance of the latest investigation is that the Israeli military's Unit 8200, a highly secretive cyber warfare division, is developing advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems that have been implicated in facilitating "Israel's" genocide in Gaza, the ¡Do Not Panic! website reported.
According to the report, Unit 8200 is actively involved in building AI systems for leading global technology and AI companies.
Former members of Unit 8200, specializing in AI, machine learning, and big data, are now employed by major tech firms such as Meta, Google, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Nvidia, which is recognized as the world's foremost AI company.
The website disclosed that these specialists are dispersed globally, with bases ranging from San Francisco and New York to Spain, Switzerland, London, and occupied al-Quds.
The report further highlighted that many of these AI experts from Unit 8200 are now driving innovation in AI startups and being celebrated by corporate media as the next wave of AI leaders.
