November 30, 2025
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Pastor Charged with Cryptocurrency Scam

Washington-based Pastor Francier Obando Pinillo has been charged for his involvement in “Solano Fi,” a fraudulent cryptocurrency investment business that Pinillo claims “came to him in a dream.” A pastor in a church based in Pasco, Washington, Pinillo allegedly took advantage of his position to sway members of the congregation to invest in Solano Fi, defrauding over a thousand victims of millions of dollars in what he claimed was a “safe and guaranteed investment.”

“Fraudulent investment schemes are not new, but cryptocurrency scams are a new way fraudsters take money from hardworking, honest people,” states US Attorney Vanessa Waldref.

The landmark case illustrates how cryptocurrency scams have now become mainstream. Fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes have previously been viewed as the province of highly organized hostile nation-state-backed cybercriminals and shadowy ‘market makers”. But the Pinillo case illustrates how even relatively unskilled crooks are now capable of preying on the greed of unsuspecting investors.

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Musk rattles skeletons in Brussels’ cupboard

The European Union (EU) suffered a major setback this week in its drive to recreate cyberspace in its own image. In a surprising turnaround, the EU appears to have caved into threats by X (formerly Twitter) owner Elon Musk to reveal “secret deals” offered by the EU to himself and other US-based global social network platforms.

Until Monday, EU Commissioner Thierry Breton appeared to be preparing for a legal cage fight with Musk, a man who is tipped to become the world’s first trillionaire, over the issue of free speech and Musk’s refusal to censor political debate on X in line with Brussels’ wishes. Breton’s shock resignation yesterday is now being seen by many as evidence of the truth behind Musk’s allegations.

X CEO Linda Yaccarino immediately referred to the resignation of European Union commissioner Thierry Breton as “a good day for free speech.”

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Facebook’s “Project Ghostbusters” Discovered to Spy on Snapchat Traffic – March 27th

A federal court in California earlier this week released documents that revealed Facebook’s 2016 “Project Ghostbusters” campaign. The campaign was designed to mine Snapchat user data to understand their behavior better.

The project was a part of Facebook’s In-App Action Panel (IAPP) program, which used techniques to intercept and decrypt encrypted app traffic from Snapchat and, later, from YouTube and Amazon.

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UN drafts US-led AI resolution

The United Nations has drafted a resolution aimed at bringing the rest of the world in line with existing US artificial intelligence (AI) security guidelines. These follow those already developed by the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

Both emphasize the importance of “secure-by-design” and “secure-by-default” principles for AI systems. The UN Assembly called on all Member States and stakeholders “to refrain from or cease the use of artificial intelligence systems that are impossible to operate in compliance with international human rights law.” The Assembly added that the same rights that people have offline must also be protected online throughout the life cycle of artificial intelligence systems.

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EU Bans Meta’s FB and IG Targeted Advertising – November 2nd

Imposed by the Norwegian Data Protection Authority (DPA), the European Data Protection Board announced its latest extension on the temporary ban of Meta’s Facebook and Instagram’s targeted advertising for data privacy purposes.

The Norwegian DPA explained that Meta apps use content preferences based on user posts and location information to create personalized advertising targeting, which poses a threat to data privacy.

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