Dec 5, 2022El Dorado, the cursed treasure of VenezuelaVenezuela has one of the largest gold reserves in the world, yet it does not appear in any ranking of producing countries. This is because 90% of the gold extracted in Venezuela is trafficked, causing losses estimated at around $1.7 billion a year. …Gold12 min readGold12 min read
May 31, 2022The Mocro Mafia and drug trafficking in the NetherlandsA historic trial is underway in the Netherlands: boss Ridouan Taghi and 16 of his affiliates stay accused of murder, drug trafficking, money laundering and even torture. Their crimes have covered the pages of newspapers around the world. …Drugs11 min readDrugs11 min read
May 26, 2022From the “milieu” to the “bandes organisées”: a short story of organized crime in FranceDoes such a thing as a “French mafia” exist? …Mafia12 min readMafia12 min read
May 26, 2022Dark web marketplaces: where criminals go shoppingDrugs, malware, counterfeited goods, stolen jewels, cloned credit cards, fake documents, money laundering, guns, (child) pornography…whatever illegal item you are looking for, you are likely to find it in the dark web. …Cybercrime11 min readCybercrime11 min read
Jun 12, 2021Cryptocurrencies: criminals’ coins?What are cryptocurrencies? Why do they appeal to criminals? What role do they play in illicit activities? These are just some of the questions we’ll answer in the second cybercrime episode of Bar Lume, the Italian podcast on organized crime, mafia and terrorism! Listen to the original podcast (in Italian)…Bitcoin8 min readBitcoin8 min read
Jun 11, 2021Digital identity in developing countries: a comparative perspectiveHow Oman’s smart card could help bridge gaps in India’s Aadhaar digital ID According to an OECD study, digital identity (DID) systems can be classified in four categories: browser-based, mobile-based, smart card-based and biometrics-based. Countries may (and often do) combine several of these solutions to provide citizens with proofs of…Digital Identity4 min readDigital Identity4 min read
Mar 7, 2021EMOTET: The King of Cybercrime“The world’s most dangerous malware”: This is how EMOTET was known until January 2021. How did it earn this title? Who were the hackers behind it? Find out in the first cybercrime episode of Bar Lume, a new Italian podcast on organized crime, mafia and terrorism! Listen to the original…Cybercrime17 min readCybercrime17 min read
Nov 12, 2020The real lessons from The Social DilemmaOn Facebook’s business model, Google’s governance and the GDPR It will soon be a year since the premiere of the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, which hit a record number of viewers and sparked an unprecedented debate about our relationship with digital platforms. At this point, it is worth looking…The Social Dilemma6 min readThe Social Dilemma6 min read
Nov 7, 2020The economics of (personal) dataAre data more like goods or rights? 5 models for personal data management On the first day of the Next Generation Internet Summit which took place last September (online, of course), one of the key topics on the agenda was the future of the so-called “European data economy”. …Personal Data Economy7 min readPersonal Data Economy7 min read
Nov 7, 2020Avoin Ministerio: the quest for an Open MinistrySuccesses and drawbacks from a Finnish digital democracy experiment Finland is traditionally held as a stable and advanced democracy. After all, it was the first European country to grant women the right to vote and stand for elections as early as 1906. …Digital Democracy3 min readDigital Democracy3 min read
