Here is an excerpt from my latest article for Homeland Security Today's Correspondents Watch:
"Mexican transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) are no strangers to cyberspace. For the last few years, they’ve been posting videos of their kidnap victims and rivals being tortured on YouTube. They push propaganda on Facebook and MySpace. They’ve even learned how to communicate with each other through Twitter to evade the watchful eyes of Mexican authorities. But now they’re taking their presence on the Internet to new levels: fraud, piracy and information theft, hacking and sabotage. This only adds to their electronic expansion of existing crimes, like extortion, intimidation and money laundering. The question is, are they targeting American individuals or businesses, and what impact are they having on US cybersecurity?"
To read the rest of the article on HSToday.us, please CLICK HERE!
They were going to catch up with technology eventually.
Posted by: Benito | September 10, 2011 at 12:46 PM
Sylvia
Here is a chilling example of what can go wrong. No sooner did you post an article about drug cartels getting involved in the Internet, then this happens ...
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CNN News, Sep 14, 2011
(CNN) -- It was a chilling message: Two bodies with signs of torture found hanging from a pedestrian bridge in the border town of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.
Two posters left near the bodies declared that the pair -- a young man and woman -- were killed for denouncing drug cartel activity on a social network.
Bloggers who specialize in sharing news about trafficking have been threatened in the past, but this could be the first time that users of such social networks have been targeted.
The effect of such threats could be chilling, as several areas in Mexico -- including Nuevo Laredo -- have media outlets that self-censor out of fear of retribution by the cartels. In light of this censorship, blogs and social networks such as Twitter have surged as alternatives to keep citizens informed of dangers in their community.
Now the users of those networks appear to be under threat.
"This is going to happen to all of those posting funny things on the internet," one of the messages said. "You better (expletive) pay attention. I'm about to get you."
In the case of the two victims on the bridge, their ears and fingers were mutilated, said Ricardo Mancillas Castillo, an investigator for the public prosecutor's office.
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That's really bad.
P.
Posted by: P | September 14, 2011 at 03:24 PM
You haven't published much lately. But I notice that the Zeta's are at it again ... dumping 35 tortured bodies in Veracruz [news: Sep 21, 2011]. This cartel is really taking the "reign of terror" concept to the ultimate limits. Just how far can they go??
P.
Posted by: P | September 22, 2011 at 03:26 PM
@P - Yes, I've definitely slowed down in the blog department. With my book launching next week, I've been swamped working on promo stuff with NatGeo, some asylum cases, and other writing projects. As for the 35 bodies, from what I'm gathering, the dead are the Zetas, although there's some back-and-forth speculation over who did the killing. I thought about writing up a post on it today, then I saw the load of laundry I have to fold :).
Posted by: Sylvia Longmire | September 22, 2011 at 03:32 PM
If the dead ARE Zeta's ... there's going to be he** to pay in Veracruz. If I was a local resident, I'd consider moving.
Good luck with the clothes!
P.
Posted by: P | September 22, 2011 at 06:24 PM