Waypoints: About spyware, the OneCoin fraud scheme, and Asma al-Assad
I.
I miss microblogging. I miss Twitter. I still enjoy sharing bits and pieces on a regular basis. So in between navigating wildfire smoke in New York City and dodging the cyclosporiasis outbreak, I had the great idea to create yet-another-newsletter.
II.
Binding Hook says it’s “past time to do something about” spyware, following a Citizen Lab report on a Greek MEP who was targeted (twice) while investigating spyware in Europe. Back in 2023, I wrote an article for Binding Hook arguing that “civil society organizations have been sounding the alarm on spyware for over a decade, yet very little has been done to counter the growing threat.”
III.
New reporting from Amnesty International, Forbidden Stories, and OCCRP details the evolution of the Pegasus spyware and shows how Morocco used it to spy on a journalist, contradicting the government’s public claims to have never used the spyware. In early 2025, Morocco organized an in-person hearing to “disprove” years of spyware research by Amnesty International and Citizen Lab. I fact-checked that here.
IV.
If you’re looking for a podcast to binge this summer and don’t mind an older story, check out The Missing Cryptoqueen from the BBC about the OneCoin fraud scheme. OneCoin’s founder, Dr. Ruja Ignatova disappeared in October 2017 – her whereabouts remain a mystery to this day. Authorities are slowly but surely seizing assets and recovering funds on behalf of the victims.
V.
I finished The Missing Cryptoqueen on Tuesday and jumped straight into We Call Her Emma from Tortoise Investigates and The Observer. Published in 2023, the series takes a closer look at Asma al-Assad – former First Lady of Syria – and her journey from middle-class girl in West London to becoming the First Lady. The Guardian reported last year that the “Assad family are living an isolated, quiet life of luxury in Moscow and the UAE.”