Tootfinder

Happy Saturday morning! Each week, Metacurity offers our free and paid subscribers a run-down of the top infosec-related long reads we couldn't get to in the daily crush of news.
This week's selection includes pieces that touch on
--Estonia served as the first target of Russian cyberattacks,
--Inside a sprawling scam compound in Myanmar,
--How to protest safely amid massive surveillance,
--Silicon Valley is now the tech handmaiden of US authoritarianism,…

Best infosec-related long reads for the week of 1/10/26
Estonia served as the first target of Russian cyberattacks, Inside a sprawling scam compound in Myanmar, How to protest safely amid massive surveillance, Silicon Valley is now the tech handmaiden of US authoritarianism, It's hard to gain access control over AI agents

Mission Dog Ziva ist bei der Deutschen Seemannsmission Stade - hier gerade als Fotomotiv für einen Seemann aus Myanmar.
Auch das tut gut für Mental Health der Seeleute

An inside look at a Myanmar online scam center that opened in 2024 with 3,500 workers from ~30 countries and closed in November 2025 after rebels captured it (New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/world/a

At This Office Park, Scamming the World Was the Business
Times journalists got a rare look inside one of the compounds where the online fraud industry makes its billions. Inspirational slogans (“Keep going”) were just the start.

Myanmar releases at least four journalists as part of an amnesty of 7,300 prisoners convicted of terrorism after the military's 2021 coup (Committee to Protect Journalists)
https://cpj.org/2026/03/at-least-4-myanmar-journalists-jai…

At least 4 Myanmar journalists jailed on terrorism charges released in amnesty - Committee to Protect Journalists
Singapore, March 4, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release in recent days of at least four journalists in Myanmar as part of an amnesty of more than 7,300 prisoners convicted of terrorism, but urges military authorities to free all remaining jailed reporters. Those released include Hmu Yadanar Khet Moh Moh Tun, Myat Kalay (Naing Win Tun), Than Htike...

Scam-Zentren in Myanmar: Elf Personen aus Mafiafamilie in China hingerichtet
In Südostasien werden Hunderttausende gezwungen, Menschen online oder übers Telefon zu betrügen. Inzwischen geht China dagegen vor – auch mit Hinrichtungen.

Meta aka Facebook in myanmar, the full series https://rmendes.net/bookmarks/2026/01/28/meta-aka-facebook-in-myanmar

'Not for the people': Myanmar junta prepares for elections designed to legitimise grip on power (The Guardian)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/26/myanmar-junta-prepares-elections-legitimise-power
http://www.memeorandum.com/251225/p23#a251225p23

A look at the state of independent media in Myanmar, which lost US and Swedish funding this year and where subscriptions aren't a dependable source of revenue (Lorcan Lovett/Nieman Reports)
https://niemanreports.org/myanmar-independent-media-innova…

Myanmar’s Independent Media Innovates to Survive - Nieman Reports
As U.S. funding vanishes for Myanmar's independent press, media competitors turn collaborators to keep reporting alive

Chinese media: China executed 11 members of the Ming mafia family that ran online scam centres in Myanmar; five Bai family members are also sentenced to death (Koh Ewe/BBC)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2gdrvy9gjo

China executes 11 members of Myanmar scam mafia
China executes 11 members of the Ming family that ran scam centres in Myanmar, state media report.

😿 Myanmar’s election is derided as fake, but the nation’s suffering is all too real
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/28/asia-pacific/myanmar-election-people-suffering/

Myanmar’s election is derided as fake, but the nation’s suffering is all too real
The vote, the first since the 2021 coup, has been almost universally dismissed as political playacting.

China Executes 11 People Linked to Cyberscam Centers in Myanmar
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-29/china-executes-11-people-linked-to-cyberscam-centers-in-myanmar

China geht mit maximaler Härte gegen internationale Betrugsnetzwerke vor. In der ostchinesischen Stadt Wenzhou wurden elf Mitglieder einer berüchtigten Mafiafamilie hingerichtet, die laut Behörden hinter riesigen Scam-Zentren im Nachbarland Myanmar standen.
Zum Artikel: https://

Nearly Blind Refugee Escapes Ethnic Cleansing In Myanmar, Dies In Trump's American Version
https://www.wonkette.com/p/nearly-blind-refugee-escapes-ethnic

China
USA
Myanmar
Australia
Nigeria
Thailand
India
Russia
Madagascar
Vietnam
The 10 leading countries by Rare Earth metal production
https://investingnews.com/daily/resour

Discover the Top 10 Countries Leading Rare Earth Metal Production
Rare earth metal production surged in 2024, with China dominating the market. But with tensions rising between the US and China, will global supply chain disruptions impact the rare earths industry? We provide updates on the top 10 rare earths producing countries. #rareearths

"Lock her up! (Aung San Suu Kyi)
Tatmadaw, not democracy!"

Yowzer, there is so much infosec news that you can't afford to skip today's Metacurity which highlights all the critical developments, including
--The FBI seized the notorious RAMP cybercrime forum,
--Google took down dozens of domains related to mysterious threat actor Ipidea,
--China executed 11 people linked to Myanmar scam centers,
--Moltbot AI assistant can leak sensitive information,
--ShinyHunters hit Bumble, Panera, Match and CrunchBase,
--P…

The FBI seized the notorious RAMP cybercrime forum
Google took down dozens of domains related to mysterious threat actor Ipidea, China executed 11 people linked to Myanmar scam centers, Moltbot AI assistant can leak sensitive information, ShinyHunters hit Bumble, Panera, Match and CrunchBase, Poland's grid attack disabled comms at 30 sites, more