@jessmarindavis
PhD. Social scientist and entrepreneur combining research and practice. Illicit finance expert, newsletter writer, consultant. Working to stop bad people from doing bad things with money. Co-host of Secure Line podcast.
This is a) a very interesting read (a numbers station!) from and b) a good reminder that Iran likely still has plenty of asymmetric weapons (cyber, proxies, criminal surrogates) to deploy in the war.
www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...
This article on substack & polymarket is really worth reading.
"These guys are all about trapping you, me, all of us into a permanent state of braindead catatonia in which all we do all day is doom scroll and click buttons that send money to billionaires."
open.substack.com/pub/speterda...
A new Secure Line is out! We talk about the government’s various statements on Iran, whether Indian foreign interference continues to be a thing (yes), and what's up with the recent S&I senior official shuffle:
Join us for a nat sec bitch sesh.
open.spotify.com/episode/2eu8...
We have a new global terrorism financing report coming out later this week, so in the meantime, why not get caught up on the news from last month? This is the best way to stay informed on TF issues:
newsletter.insightthreatintel.com/p/global-ter...
A new Secure Line is out! We talk about the government’s various statements on Iran, whether Indian foreign interference continues to be a thing (yes), and what's up with the recent S&I senior official shuffle:
Join us for a nat sec bitch sesh.
open.spotify.com/episode/2eu8...
We even added new content yesterday, and it's immediately available to our learners!
🔍 Learn from 49 expert-crafted lessons
🔍 Discover new tools, databases, and sources
🔍 Get practical insights from seasoned analysts
🔗 Start learning today! insightthreatintelligence.thinkific.com/courses/FINI...
📢 Always Updated. Always Relevant.
The world of financial intelligence doesn’t stand still, and neither should you. Our Financial Intelligence Sources course is constantly updated—so you always have access to the latest sources and techniques used in financial investigations.
Remind me again: has the CAF studied its extremism problem and done anything about it yet?
JFC.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
@stephaniecarvin.bsky.social and @leahwest-nsl.bsky.social FYI.
Hmmmm okay, I'll give it some thought. Certainly I have more to say about this than the one little quote they included ;)
Two female Lake Brantley High School students (age 14 & 15) told officials they intended to kill a classmate & that would create a “blood bond” with Adam Lanza (Sandy Hook kilker) that would bring him back to life.
www.yahoo.com/news/article...
In a world of potlucks, Canada cannot rely on nostalgia for past parties. As the conflict in Iran deepens uncertainty about the global order, the states shaping the future will be those able to bring real capabilities to the table – and invitations to do so will hinge on what we bring. Operationalizing Davos means aligning rhetoric with resources, choosing partners with purpose, showing up when it counts and ensuring our institutions can backstop our promises. If we fail to adapt, the risk won’t just be a lingering sense of exclusion, but diminished prosperity, reduced influence and, ultimately, weakened sovereignty in a far less forgiving international order.
I have a new Op-Ed on how the Carney government can operationalize Davos.
Based on an idea I developed with @thomasjuneau.bsky.social a few years ago but tweaked a bit for our ruptured times.
www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
I've been waiting for this article to come out for a while now. Alarming (but not surprising) allegations of Iranian sanctions evasion & terrorist financing through businesses in Toronto.
But this story gets one thing very wrong:
www.thestar.com/news/investi...
Also, this is exactly the kind of thing the Canadian Financial Crimes Agency should be prioritizing, as I wrote here:
newsletter.insightthreatintel.com/p/a-proposal...
What it describes is potentially criminal non-compliance, sanctions evasion, and terrorist financing. While FINTRAC can issue penalties, it's really up to law enforcement to investigate and prosecute.
So where is the RCMP on this?
I've been waiting for this article to come out for a while now. Alarming (but not surprising) allegations of Iranian sanctions evasion & terrorist financing through businesses in Toronto.
But this story gets one thing very wrong:
www.thestar.com/news/investi...
📖From the Insight Monitor archives, here's a look at how terrorists use financial tradecraft to hide the source, destination, and use of funds. You might think that crypto is high on the list, but it actually involves more traditional techniques.....
newsletter.insightthreatintel.com/p/obscuring-...
@stephaniecarvin.bsky.social and I talk about this on the pod (coming out Monday, but now also overtaken by events); it's been one file for a long time now....but this week it was split, and now it's back/ I'm so confused.
If you're interested in prediction markets & intelligence, this is a must read: "For an adversary, these markets function as an inadvertent but high-fidelity [indicators & warning] system."
irregularwarfare.org/articles/int...
Ha! I have my doubts.
Not only to have a change so soon after the initial announcement, but also what seems to be a change in structure, back to what it was before the announcement. Wonder what happened?
This is very curious. We just had an announcement this week that Dominic Rochon was going to be the Deputy Secretary for security & intelligence.
www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/news...
From the Insight Monitor archives, here's a look at how Iran funds the Houthis through cryptocurrency, and what this means for global security:
newsletter.insightthreatintel.com/p/from-tehra...
"Canada has long been complacent about foreign policy and national security: it could afford to neglect the pressures and incentives of the realities of power, comfortably sheltered as it was by a mostly benevolent United States."
If UAE freezes Iranian assets, it'll be HUGE. It will not stop Iranian trade / proxy financing, but it will deal it a big blow, and force more $ through its crypto networks, which are not sufficiently liquid or large enough to absorb this activity.
www.wsj.com/world/middle...
“the rapidly expanding conflict now features one of America’s chief nuclear-armed competitors with exquisite intelligence capabilities.”
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
In other news, I finished the second last chapter of Book3. One more to go, then just intro and conclusion.
I'll allow it.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
Academia giveth and also taketh away.
Success on one thing and no success on another thing. 'Tis a rollercoaster.