Underground Surveillance Tech: The Hidden Industry and Its Global Reach

In June, Guenther Rudolph, sales director for a secretive surveillance company, showcased their covert technology at an exclusive conference in Prague, where law enforcement and surveillance firms gather. The industry’s offerings ranged from hidden cameras to drones and, notably, software capable of accessing and tracking mobile phone locations without leaving a trace.

Among the companies present, some are infamous—such as NSO Group, linked to the Pegasus spyware involved in controversial political and human rights violations, and Intellexa, associated with hacking scandals. Yet, Rudolph’s company, operating from Jakarta under the alias First Wap, has remained largely in the shadows, developing systems that exploit old telecom signaling protocols (SS7) to track phones globally, without needing malicious links or device compromises.

The platform, called Altamides, claims to locate multiple suspects in real-time by querying telecom networks, with no detectable signs of intrusion on mobile devices. The company asserts its products are used solely by legitimate government agencies for combating crime and terrorism, though investigations reveal a different picture. Secret archives uncovered over a million instances of Altamides’ use, showing its deployment across 100 countries, including in the United States, where such surveillance is typically restricted.

Targets ranged from high-profile figures—such as Silicon Valley executives, politicians, and journalists—to ordinary individuals like a softball coach and a restaurant owner, often for personal or corporate reasons. The archive also exposed attempts to monitor dissidents and political opponents, including prominent figures in Rwanda and Vatican officials, sometimes without their awareness.

First Wap’s technology leverages SS7 signals to locate phones, enabling its users to track movements, intercept messages, and even crack encrypted apps like WhatsApp—capabilities that surpass traditional law enforcement tools. The company’s sales strategies included working through resellers and offering circumventions for export restrictions, allowing sales to repressive regimes and private clients alike.

Despite public claims of ethical boundaries, evidence shows First Wap’s system has been sold to authoritarian regimes and corporate interests, enabling invasive, often unauthorized monitoring. The industry’s opacity and lack of accountability raise serious concerns about privacy, human rights, and the unchecked proliferation of such powerful tools.