AJ Vicens
@ajvicens.bsky.social
Cybersecurity correspondent at Reuters; former Mother Jones, CyberScoop. Will bore you with skateboarding, UFO lore or Denver Broncos minutiae on request. Signal: ajvicens.57, additional contact methods: https://tinyurl.com/47jc45h7
Pinned
AJ Vicens
@ajvicens.bsky.social
· Apr 25
Hello! Let's chat.
I'm a cybersecurity correspondent with Reuters focused on cybercrime, state-aligned threats, intelligence, data breaches, influence/info ops.
Get in touch:
Signal (pref): ajvicens.57
Email(s): a.j.vicens@tr.com, aj_vicens@proton.me
Latest work: www.reuters.com/authors/a-j-...
I'm a cybersecurity correspondent with Reuters focused on cybercrime, state-aligned threats, intelligence, data breaches, influence/info ops.
Get in touch:
Signal (pref): ajvicens.57
Email(s): a.j.vicens@tr.com, aj_vicens@proton.me
Latest work: www.reuters.com/authors/a-j-...
New today: Meta is earning a fortune on a deluge of fraudulent ads, documents show: www.reuters.com/investigatio...
Meta is earning a fortune on a deluge of fraudulent ads, documents show
Meta projected 10% of its 2024 revenue would come from ads for scams and banned goods, and it internally estimates that its platforms show users 15 billion scam ads a day, company documents show.
www.reuters.com
November 6, 2025 at 10:44 PM
New today: Meta is earning a fortune on a deluge of fraudulent ads, documents show: www.reuters.com/investigatio...
Washington sandwich-thrower cleared of assaulting US agent www.reuters.com/world/washin...
www.reuters.com
November 6, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Washington sandwich-thrower cleared of assaulting US agent www.reuters.com/world/washin...
Exclusive: Trump moves to fire watchdog of US housing regulator involved in crackdown, sources say www.reuters.com/world/us/wat...
Exclusive: Trump moves to fire watchdog of US housing regulator involved in crackdown, sources say
The internal watchdog for the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency is being removed from his role, four people familiar with the matter said, at a time when the housing regulator is playing a role in President Donald Trump's targeting of perceived political enemies.
www.reuters.com
November 3, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Exclusive: Trump moves to fire watchdog of US housing regulator involved in crackdown, sources say www.reuters.com/world/us/wat...
There could not be a newsletter more perfectly aimed at journalism/data/cyber nerds like me: buttondown.com/readwrite (thank you @hatr.bsky.social, @jls.bsky.social)
readwrite
What readwrite is about This is a newsletter about journalism and coding. If you subscribe, here’s what you can expect: Tutorials on finding information – pictures, profiles, malware – what’s generall...
buttondown.com
November 3, 2025 at 7:09 PM
There could not be a newsletter more perfectly aimed at journalism/data/cyber nerds like me: buttondown.com/readwrite (thank you @hatr.bsky.social, @jls.bsky.social)
Reposted by AJ Vicens
Hello Bluesky I’m out of my depth on a question to do with correspondent banks, how they work, and, particularly, how to determine which specific U.S. correspondent bank would’ve served which specific foreign bank at a certain period of time. Anyone have any ideas for good people to talk to?
🏦 💵 🏦
🏦 💵 🏦
November 3, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Hello Bluesky I’m out of my depth on a question to do with correspondent banks, how they work, and, particularly, how to determine which specific U.S. correspondent bank would’ve served which specific foreign bank at a certain period of time. Anyone have any ideas for good people to talk to?
🏦 💵 🏦
🏦 💵 🏦
This line of thinking that PR would automatically elect two D senators continues to live on regardless of the political realities and dynamics of the archipelago.
Johnson: "If they had no filibuster, they would pack the SCOTUS. You'd go from 9 to 17 or however many liberals they could pack. You would make DC & Puerto Rico into states, which would give 4 additional Democrat senators & make us a permanent minority. You'd see massive restrictions of 2A rights"
November 3, 2025 at 4:54 PM
This line of thinking that PR would automatically elect two D senators continues to live on regardless of the political realities and dynamics of the archipelago.
Reposted by AJ Vicens
My colleague @dmehro.bsky.social and I have been working on this for a year -- a hacked list of the Kansas City, Kansas, Police officers who are on the department's misconduct list. www.kcur.org/news/2025-11...
Hack exposes Kansas City, Kansas, Police's secret officer misconduct list
A major breach of the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department reveals for the first time, a list of alleged officer misconduct including dishonesty, sexual harassment, excessive force, and false arrest...
www.kcur.org
November 3, 2025 at 3:46 PM
My colleague @dmehro.bsky.social and I have been working on this for a year -- a hacked list of the Kansas City, Kansas, Police officers who are on the department's misconduct list. www.kcur.org/news/2025-11...
Maryland state senator charged with extorting ex-consultant over an affair www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Maryland state senator charged with extorting ex-consultant over an affair
The Democrat from Baltimore was charged with eight crimes, according to a court docket.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 30, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Maryland state senator charged with extorting ex-consultant over an affair www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Reposted by AJ Vicens
So this story is super duper interesting for a whole ton of reasons, but one big one is its a very rare glimpse into the private valuation of high-end exploits held by major defense contractors
bsky.app/profile/lega...
bsky.app/profile/lega...
Peter Williams, A former executive with US defense contractor L3Harris has pleaded guilty to selling digital spy tools to a Russian broker, the Justice Department announced. Williams pleaded to two counts of theft of trade secrets reut.rs/49o7Q0I
October 29, 2025 at 11:45 PM
So this story is super duper interesting for a whole ton of reasons, but one big one is its a very rare glimpse into the private valuation of high-end exploits held by major defense contractors
bsky.app/profile/lega...
bsky.app/profile/lega...
Reposted by AJ Vicens
LATEST: We're identifying several far-right figures involved in the neo-Nazi magazine Rope Culture, including a Canadian Nazi podcaster-turned-Orthodox priest, a Danish black metal musician, and a notorious American pedophile and failed political candidate.
Today we published the last of three articles investigating the exposed web server for the neo-Nazi magazine Rope Culture. We’re identifying several far-right figures involved, including a Canadian Nazi podcaster-turned-Orthodox priest, a Danish metal musician, and a notorious American pedophile.
“Rope Culture” propagandists exposed and emails explored: From Iron March leaks to FashyLeaks
Part III: Exploring the podcasts hosted on the site and sifting through the private emails found in the web server leak
decoherence.media
October 29, 2025 at 12:57 PM
LATEST: We're identifying several far-right figures involved in the neo-Nazi magazine Rope Culture, including a Canadian Nazi podcaster-turned-Orthodox priest, a Danish black metal musician, and a notorious American pedophile and failed political candidate.
In an era of grim headlines, this really stands out: "Rio police raids kill at least 132, corpses line street" @reuters.com www.reuters.com/world/americ...
Corpses line Rio street, pushing death toll from police raids to 132
The deadliest police operation in Brazil's history killed at least 132 people, officials said on Wednesday, after Rio de Janeiro residents lined a street with dozens of corpses collected overnight, a week ahead of global climate events in the city.
www.reuters.com
October 29, 2025 at 6:57 PM
In an era of grim headlines, this really stands out: "Rio police raids kill at least 132, corpses line street" @reuters.com www.reuters.com/world/americ...
Reposted by AJ Vicens
New incredible detail here: ICE says a match in its facial recognition app Mobile Fortify is a "definitive" determination of a person's status, and that this overrides birth certificates. This is an app ICE is using in the field to scan people
www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp-...
www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp-...
October 29, 2025 at 3:03 PM
New incredible detail here: ICE says a match in its facial recognition app Mobile Fortify is a "definitive" determination of a person's status, and that this overrides birth certificates. This is an app ICE is using in the field to scan people
www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp-...
www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp-...
Reposted by AJ Vicens
Scoop here, by @ajvicens.bsky.social www.reuters.com/business/med...
www.reuters.com
October 29, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Scoop here, by @ajvicens.bsky.social www.reuters.com/business/med...
Reposted by AJ Vicens
NEW: Hackers working for an unnamed nation state breached networks at Ribbon Communications, a key U.S. telecommunications services company, and remained within the firm’s systems for nearly a year without being detected (!)
October 29, 2025 at 6:38 PM
NEW: Hackers working for an unnamed nation state breached networks at Ribbon Communications, a key U.S. telecommunications services company, and remained within the firm’s systems for nearly a year without being detected (!)
Reposted by AJ Vicens
Scoop: The Trump admin's videos boasting triumphs on immigration have used misleading footage from months ago or thousands of miles away
When we showed them the errors, DHS said they make a lot of videos and the White House said it'll keep making "banger memes"
wapo.st/4nuDGwf
When we showed them the errors, DHS said they make a lot of videos and the White House said it'll keep making "banger memes"
wapo.st/4nuDGwf
Trump administration uses misleading videos to portray chaos, push deportations
Official videos purporting to show the triumph of recent immigration operations used footage that was years old or recorded thousands of miles away, a Washington Post analysis found.
wapo.st
October 29, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Scoop: The Trump admin's videos boasting triumphs on immigration have used misleading footage from months ago or thousands of miles away
When we showed them the errors, DHS said they make a lot of videos and the White House said it'll keep making "banger memes"
wapo.st/4nuDGwf
When we showed them the errors, DHS said they make a lot of videos and the White House said it'll keep making "banger memes"
wapo.st/4nuDGwf
Inside the Trump family’s global crypto cash machine - www.reuters.com/investigatio...
Inside the Trump family’s global crypto cash machine
The U.S. president’s family raked in more than $800 million from sales of crypto assets in the first half of 2025 alone, a Reuters examination found. Much of that cash came from foreign sources.
www.reuters.com
October 29, 2025 at 12:06 AM
Inside the Trump family’s global crypto cash machine - www.reuters.com/investigatio...
Exclusive: US military officials required to sign NDAs tied to Latin America mission, sources say www.reuters.com/world/americ...
Exclusive: US military officials required to sign NDAs tied to Latin America mission, sources say
U.S. military officials involved with President Donald Trump's expanding operations in Latin America have been asked to sign non-disclosure agreements, three U.S. officials say, a development that raises new questions about a military buildup that Venezuela fears may lead to an invasion.
www.reuters.com
October 28, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Exclusive: US military officials required to sign NDAs tied to Latin America mission, sources say www.reuters.com/world/americ...
Reposted by AJ Vicens
fucking christ
NEW: According to a criminal complaint, Ryan Kesler engaged in two counts of sexual contact with a 16-year-old child "through force or coercion and/or (had) reason to know the victim was physically helpless."
www.nytimes.com/athletic/675...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/675...
Former NHL player Ryan Kesler charged with criminal sexual conduct over alleged incident with 16-year-old
Kesler, a retired NHL center, has been charged with two misdemeanor counts of criminal sexual conduct in the fourth degree.
www.nytimes.com
October 28, 2025 at 6:46 PM
fucking christ
Reposted by AJ Vicens
I wrote the first version of this draft almost exactly a year ago, but I wasn’t ready.
I am now.
thebarbedwire.com/2025/10/27/t...
I am now.
thebarbedwire.com/2025/10/27/t...
Texas Is a Lot More Queer Than You Think. I Am Too.
There are 1.8 million of us, and we’re not going anywhere.
thebarbedwire.com
October 28, 2025 at 1:58 PM
I wrote the first version of this draft almost exactly a year ago, but I wasn’t ready.
I am now.
thebarbedwire.com/2025/10/27/t...
I am now.
thebarbedwire.com/2025/10/27/t...
Reposted by AJ Vicens
Yesterday we published the first of 3 articles that investigate the exposed web server for the neo-Nazi magazine Rope Culture. Today we've just published the second part, which analyzes the published articles, reader comments, and web traffic data.
Uncovered: Identities and tactics behind the neo-Nazi “Rope Culture” web server
Part II: Examination of the magazine's publication decisions, its odious commenters, and the platforms that promoted it
decoherence.media
October 28, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Yesterday we published the first of 3 articles that investigate the exposed web server for the neo-Nazi magazine Rope Culture. Today we've just published the second part, which analyzes the published articles, reader comments, and web traffic data.
Begging more blogs and news sites to deploy functional RSS capabilities. I want to follow your stuff! Make it easier!
October 28, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Begging more blogs and news sites to deploy functional RSS capabilities. I want to follow your stuff! Make it easier!
Reposted by AJ Vicens
Check out FashyLeaks, searchable leaked neo-Nazi datasets, and share it.
FashyLeaks
Search interface for Nazi forum datasets, including Iron March and Rope Culture.
fashyleaks.com
October 27, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Check out FashyLeaks, searchable leaked neo-Nazi datasets, and share it.
Reposted by AJ Vicens
Exclusive: Amazon targets as many as 30,000 corporate job cuts, sources say @reuters.com @gregbensinger.bsky.social www.reuters.com/business/wor...
Exclusive: Amazon targets as many as 30,000 corporate job cuts, sources say
Amazon is planning to cut as many as 30,000 corporate jobs beginning Tuesday, as the company works to pare expenses and compensate for overhiring during the peak demand of the pandemic, according to three people familiar with the matter.
www.reuters.com
October 27, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Exclusive: Amazon targets as many as 30,000 corporate job cuts, sources say @reuters.com @gregbensinger.bsky.social www.reuters.com/business/wor...