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ladyartemisia28 · 4 years ago

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Say Amen (Saturday Night)Chapter 4

Pairings: Prinxiety, side Logicality, Platonic Moxiety, Platonic/Family Logince.

Warnings: Cursing?

Words:4179

Summary: Sanders Sides Human College AU

Chapter 4- Nine in the Afternoon

Author’s Note- Very advised to get a hold of the song Welcome to the Black Parade- by My Chemical Romance.

After they finished gathering their things, Roman led Virgil out to the parking lot.

He slowly shuffled his feet as he caught up to Roman who walked up to open the trunk of a very nice red car. The symbol on the front of the car was a large L.

Virgil raised his eyes up from the ground to look at the vehicle with wide eyes.

“This is your car?” he roughly tossed his bag in the back set

“Yeah, I was hoping for a Lamborghini.” Roman joked with a wink as gently placed his bag in the trunk.

Virgil attempted silence small bitter voice in his head.

“When I was 14 and my cousin, Adora, got her Quiñceanera. She chose me to be her chambelán de honor or chosen escort. I was SOOOOOO JEALOUS!” He dramatically flourished with his hands as he grabbed the trunk lid and closed it shut. “So to bribe me my parents told me that they'd get me a car a year early.”

“Sorry but I have to ask, but I...I'm not sure what it is?” Virgil asked

“Oh uh, sorry” Roman apologized with a smile.

Virgil hummed as a response.

“It's the big birthday that Cis Latina girls get when they turn into 'women'. Silly and patriarchal, I know!” Roman added with a open palms gesture when he saw the eyebrow raise that Virgil gave. “But it was so fun, so fancy and beautiful!”

Roman pushed the key fob to unlock the car and they got themselves settled in.

“It's fucked up that other genders don't get anything like that.”

“Yeah I even stole the catalogue that she picked her dress out of. I cut out my favourites and glued my face on them. Put them all up and down my mirror.” Roman said with a proud smile remembering the happy memories.

Images of Roman in slinky cocktail dresses rushed into Virgil's mind. His face dropped to a small frown as he struggled to stop that particular train of thought.

Roman was unsure if he had said something that upset Virgil to make him clam up again.

"Uh you can pick the music if you'd like?” Roman offered as a break in the sudden silence. “CD's are in the middle.”

He waited for Virgil to buckle himself in before he pulled his car out of the parking lot. Virgil went through all the preset radio stations before opening the middle console.

“CD's? I would have thought that you would have your car set up with Spotify or Pandora or something like that?” he said as he opened opened the console and looked through the collection

“Eh, CD's are great. No commercials for long car trips. ”

All of the Cds were for musicals, a few that he had heard of like Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, and Guys and Dolls. And some that Virgil didn't know, Dear Evan Hanson, Six the Musical, and...Legally Blonde? He did not know that that was a musical.

Then he spotted one that Roman had mentioned.

“Um, any suggestions from Heathers? You said that I might like this the 7/11 song?”

“I usually go through the whole thing in order....but I suggest for you, Track number 4.”

“Could I get some context?” Virgil asked as he pressed the button for the track number.

“The uh, 7/11 scene in the movie...But in song.” Roman offered with a bit of a smug smile.

“I probably should have guessed that.” he admitted with a grumble.

Virgil closed his eyes as he listened to the song and imagined the scene in his head.

Just like in the Heathers movie JD was recounting to Veronica how he travelled all over the place because of his father. And because of that he didn't feel like he was able to connect to the people and places. No place felt like home, except for 7/11.

It was always a weird scene in Virgil's opinion. Like JD is just opening up to this person he just met and telling her his very strong feelings about a convenience store and Slushies.

Even though it was strange Virgil had to admit, it was a good song. Parts of the song were a little to close to home, like “When the voice in your head says you're better off dead”.

“So what do you think? ”

“Yeah I get it. Its good.”

“That's all?” Roman asked exasperatedly

“I guess I was expecting something different???”

“Like what?”

“I just thought that JD was going to be a little more intense. Like crazy sounding or something?”

“Ah what YOU are searching for is 'Meant to Be Yours' number 17.”

He pressed the button until he reached the number and sat back in his seat to listen.

“So is that was you were expecting?” Roman asked as they exited the car after arriving at the store.

“Yeah, it was” Virgil smiled “Real Intense.”

The pair stopped after they reached to threshold to get their bearings.

“I get so lost in here.” Roman complained with a slight whine to his voice. “I don't usually do the grocery shopping.

Before Virgil could comment Roman continued.

“Lo likes to go to make sure that the budget is kept tight, but he's been so busy with his job. He just got his a new taker for his math tutoring.”

“So Logan's your brother?” Virgil

“My brother, well Step brother. My Mama married his Papa. When I was old enough to remember that I was getting a new family, but young enough that it's no longer weird.” Roman offered a little bit more information than necessary.

Roman briefly considered mentioning that he was at the party and Virgil had briefly seen him, but he didn't want to bring up the previous night.

At lest he didn't want to bring it up first.

They were getting along so well that he didn't want to make Virgil uncomfortable.

“Really, I grew up with him so he is my brother. Soooooo do you have any siblings?” Roman began to play with the sleeves of his jacket as he attempted a more personal question.

“Uh yeah, a older sister” he muttered.

“And her name is...?”

“Melantha,” he responded with little inflection “she prefers to be called Missy.”

“Melantha?! WOW, huh! Did your parents just grab a baby name book and open a page at random for ALL their kids!” Roman teased with a mocking laugh as they arrived at the Dairy and Juice section.

“Yeah haha, Virgil's got a weird name. I've NEVER heard that before.” Virgil rolled his eyes as his tone changed from frosty to salty. “You know Roman isn't really the most common name either.”

“I am far from COMMON! Besides I wasn't saying your name was BAD! It is 'strange and usual like you'.” Roman winked as he tried to steer their conversation back to more friendly waters.

“Quoting Beetljuice at me? You'll have to do better than that.” Virgil grinned in spite of himself as he grabbed a six pack of orange drink and placed it in the cart.

“Come on you gotta give a guy some credit for remembering what your interests are right?”

“Yeah I guess” he said with a reluctantly happier tone.

“Hey do you see the Almond Milk?” Roman asked after he finished his scan bottles and cartons.

“Uh no, I think that might be over in the Organic or like Vegan section. Why does your brother have you on a specialized diet as well as his, what was it? His extremist water agenda? What does that even mean?” Virgil chuckled as he took the cart from Roman and led him toward the other end of the store.

“It's just what I call his super weird thing about getting enough water everyday. And yeah he does keep our kitchen stocked with a lot of green veggies. Also he checks to sure I kept up a sleep schedule”

Virgil's eyebrows rose in surprise at hearing all things.

“Yikes, he sounds like a bit of a control freak...”

“Yeah he is sometimes. Like I have hide my Butterfinger stash from him.” Roman complained. “He's not as bad I make him sound...NEVER tell him I told you that.”

Roman went over to the shelf and looked over the choices, Soy, Almond, Lactose- Free lined the shelves.

“Oh and to answer why the special milk, I'm THINKING of starting the Paleo diet right now. My brother has no influence on this though, just want to try and see what works. I might try Keto if this one doesn't work for me.

“ah right.” Virgil nodded eyes slightly widened hoping that the look on his face didn't betrayal the fact that he did NOT know what the heck a Paleo or a Keto diet meant.

Virgil felt heard a chime from his pocket so he pulled out his phone.

“Hey I'm going to get this.” he shook his phone up to show Roman before he stepped away from the cold of the meat section.

Roman nodded in return as he turned to look at the selection of skinless chicken.

Virgil got a message from Green_Tea_Gay on his Instagram account, Anxious_On_Main.

'Hey so that “Study Partner” is a hot piece!'

'Remy do you have a point' Virgil replied

'Gurl do you know? have you seen his pics? HOW is he Single!!'

After the three little dots disappeared in their place were several pictures

His face reddened as he looked at the pictures of the previously mentioned selfies. Roman wearing tight jeans in front of a mirror with his backside captured on the camera. Another with him laying on his stomach caught at an angle getting his short clad behind in shot.

He quickly glanced over to Roman, who was still distracted.

He looked back at him phone and quickly texted back.

'Don't send me those!'

'They are posted to the public! I didn't hack his phone'

'I don't care, no more pics of his butt'

'K'

Just about the time he was going to put his phone back into his pocket another chime stopped him.

The next series of pictures were of Roman exercising posing with a dumbbell doing a curl, stretching, and other gym activities,

And the last was Roman in swimwear that exposed more skin than he thought was allowed outside of certain websites.

His body felt instant heat and he looked and took a few calming breaths before returning to message Remy.

'I said no more pics!'

'Sis you told me no pics of his ass'

'DO NOT SEND PICTURES OF ROMAN SANDERSON!'

'Easy there Baby! No need to get your knickers in a twist. I'm just trying to help. Look at what you will be missing if you don't Snatch. That. Up!'

'What the hell Rem! We are NOT getting together! He is not into me.'

'Nah sweetie, you should have been paying more attention. That is totally a smitten kitten'

'You are the worst'

'No I am literally the best and you two are soooo getting together. Don't worry I know I made my point.'

'You asshole'

'Enjoy the pictures ;)'

Roman noticed that after he returned from his handling of his phone business Virgil had gotten quiet again and seemed to shift his gaze away from Roman.

'Did I spent too much time with the chicken?'

They walked down to the breakfast aisle.

As Virgil picked up some a box of Count Chocula cereal Roman slowed the cart to a stop behind him.

“You can only get this one around this time of year” he looked at it with a fondness that made Roman's stomach flip.

“So what are you planning on making?” Roman asked as he leaned his arms on the handle bar of the cart.

“Making? Uh, nothing, just like a bowl of cereal.... like with milk...from a cow” Virgil tilted his head to one side.

Confusion on his face as he held up the box and gave it a shake.

Roman could feel heat creep over his face, he was very caught off guard by the unexpected softness on Virgil's face.

'Shit!...now he thinks I'm an idiot who doesn't know how to eat cereal!'

Virgil turned around and did not see Roman's flushed face as he hide his own.

Basic cereal... I guess I could be making something with it like a cereal bar or something? A cake? Maybe? It isnt very impressive...and it's probably not on the platleo diet or whatever it was...

They stood in awkward silence until Virgil turned back around.

“I guess that cereal isn't something that YOU would be eating.” he looked at the cart. “From what I see here, you eat like you are going to be in the next Avengers movie or something.”

“Thanks, I mean I try.” Roman said with his eyes downwards as his body did an uncharacteristic shy sway.

“Yeah, I gues if you workout half as much as you take all those pictures, you could get away with more than the occasional Butterfinger.” Virgil's eyes widened as he realized what he had said.

'.. shut up! shut up! shut up!'

Roman's head snapped up to look at Virgil.

“You've seen my gyms pictures?” Roman asked in a whisper.

“Ah Yeah that's like all over your Instagram page,” he attempted to sound super casual

He did not sound casual.

Like at all

They felt a charged moment between them and the longer it went on the longer they were unsure of who was going to break the silence.

Roman took it upon himself to interrupt the quiet as he tool the box of chocolate cereal in hand.

“I like the marshmallow bats.” he said with sheepish smile.

When they returned to the car they loaded Roman's groceries into the trunk and Virgil's bags into the back seat. Then they got themselves settled in their seats.

“SO where am I uh dropping you off?” Roman asked as they pulled out of the parking lot.

“I live in the dorms," Virgil asked as he started his usual habit of checking all the radio stations. “You don't?”

He found a song that he seemed to like on one of stations, Roman recognized it as a song by Imagine Dragons.

“I live in a apartment a little bit away from the college, with Logan.”

“Um, I live in the north dorms.” Virgil said as he a small bit of nervousness as took his thumbnail between his teeth. “With Patton, my best friend.”

After that song ended, a G piano note began the next song. Roman vaguely recognized it from somewhere he couldn't place. He figured when it got to the singing part he would be able to identify it.

Virgil tensed out of both excitement and fear.

He was about to embarrassed himself in front of Roman. At lest Roman was driving so he wouldn't be stared at. So he took a breath and let himself focus on the lyrics.

“When I was a young boy, my father took me into the city” Virgil sang out beautifully. “To see a marching band”

Roman's jaw dropped and his breath stilled. He felt like he was going to swoon.

He was so very grateful that they were at a red stoplight.

“He said, son, when you grow up Would you be the saviour of the broken The beaten, and the damned? He said, will you defeat them Your demons and all the non-believers?”

Virgil sang with closed eyes losing himself in the song. While Roman's heart thumped hard in his chest and he felt an assortment of warring emotions.

“The plans that they have made? Because one day I'll leave you A phantom to lead you in the summer To join the black parade”

As the song picked up in tempo Roman realized where he had heard this song before. He remembered that he had a few friends who were into My Chemical Romance, it was 'Welcome to the Black Parade'.

“When I was a young boy My father took me into the city To see a marching band He said, son, when you grow up Will you be the savior of the broken The beaten, and the damned?”

Virgil continued a little more intensely. As the song got more upbeat Roman joined Virgil in singing and continued his drive toward the dorm.

“Sometimes I get the feeling She's watching over me And other times I feel like I should go”

Virgil eyes popped wide open and he smiled.

“And through it all The rise and fall The bodies in the streets And when you're gone, we want you all to know

We'll carry on, we'll carry on And though you're dead and gone, believe me Your memory will carry on We'll carry on And in my heart I can't contain it The anthem won't explain it”

As Roman turned a corner they continued to sing together

“A world that sends you reeling From decimated dreams Your misery and hate will kill us all So paint it black And take it back Let's shout it loud and clear Defiant to the end We hear the call”

Roman followed the music with dramatic hand gestures as he continued driving with his left hand. Even Virgil joined in with less dramatic the hand motions.

“To carry on We'll carry on And though you're dead and gone, believe me Your memory will carry on We'll carry on And though you're broken and defeated Your weary widow marches”

Virgil sang with a full grinning face, his relief at Roman joining him in singing the song had caused him to relax and he was able to sing louder with more feeling.

“On and on, we carry through the fears (Oh, oh, oh) Disappointed faces of your peers (Oh, oh, oh)”

Take a look at me 'Cause I could not care at all”

Roman held onto the note at the end for a bit. Virgil continued on with the lyrics

Do or die, you'll never make me Because the world will never take my heart Go and try, you'll never break me We want it all, we wanna play this part I won't explain or say I'm sorry I'm unashamed, I'm gonna show my scar Give a cheer for all the broken Listen here, because it's who we are I'm just a man, I'm not a hero Just a boy, who had to sing this song I'm just a man, I'm not a hero I don't care

They arrived at the dorms parking lot and Roman parked.

We'll carry on We'll carry on And though you're dead and gone believe me Your memory will carry on You'll carry on

And though you're broken and defeated Your weary widow marches on

Roman contuined his singing the longer held notes as they song concluded.

Do or die, you'll never make me Because the world will never take my heart Go and try, you'll never break me We want it all, we wanna play this part (We'll carry on) Do or die, you'll never make me (We'll carry on) Because the world will never take my heart (We'll carry on) Go and try, you'll never break me (We'll carry) We want it all, we wanna play this part (We'll carry on)

“We'll carry on!”

They both sang as the song ended to the sounds of drums.

At the conclusion of the song both Virgil and Roman were out of breath and grinning.

Roman felt his heart race.

He had thought that he had experienced maximum attraction that morning toward Virgil. But he was very wrong.

'Damnit Virgil why does your voice have to sound like sexy melted chocolate!'

He fought every instinct to just lean over and initiate a vehicular makeout session.

Roman caught a brief glimpse of Virgil's eyes peak out from underneath his bangs and he gave him a very full smile.

Virgil nervously took a glance at Roman from underneath his dark hair.

Roman had the brightest and most authentic smile that Virgil thought he ever saw on his face.

It wasn't like Virgil thought that Roman faked his other smiles, the feelings of joy and friendliness were not false. But it seemed a lot of the other smiles that Roman gave seemed too perfect, Virgil guessed he practised his expressions in front of a mirror.

This smile was of shear amazement, it was pointed in Virgil's direction. Like he could not believe what he heard, it caused Virgil to feel an annoying sensation in his chest.

“I didn't know you could sing” Roman spoke softly breaking the silence.

“Uh sure I guess I can sing a tune here or there.” Virgil shrugged with a dismissive sigh.

“I think its more than that!” Roman attempted to offer him a very sincere compliment.

“Yeah I'm not about to sell out stadiums anytime.” Virgil chuckled at the thought.

'I wish you were in a band. I'd buy all your albums. Be front row in your concerts, I'd....shit I can't tell him any of this!'

“So My Chemical Romance huh?” Roman said with a wide smirk.

“What about it?!”

“They are like the most cliché Emo band ever.” Roman snickered.

“Ah cliche? Really YOU want to go there do you?!” Virgil said

“Whatever do you mean by that?” Roman asked with a raised eyebrow.

“For a theatre kid you would think you'd dress a bit more stylish or something?” Virgil attempted to say with an indifferent air.

“What like take the costume from Hot Mikado out around the quad?”

“Absolute no clue what that is.” Virgil laughed as he exited the vehicle.

“It's....never mind that. I have only dressed subtly to spare those around me. ” Roman responded as he walked to back of the car. “How would anyone be able to concentrate on their schooling if I were to show up in full regalia?!”

“Full Regalia, huh, you sure think highly of yourself don't you? I'm not sure you should be bragging quite so much.”

“Is that a formal challenge?” Roman felt his racing heart in his chest in the midst of their back and forth.

“Not sure how impressive you'll actually be, but I'll keep an open mind, I guess.” Virgil shrugged with a small smirk as he began to take out the bags.

'I'll show him'

Roman noticed a few heavier bags that he could chivalrously offer to help him with.

“I can help you carry some of your groceries to your dorm?”

“Ah you just want an excuse to come to my room.” Virgil teased in a deep low voice as he waited for Roman to banter back.

“YES YOU BET I DO!!!!....play it cool, Roman play it cool!'

“N...no...! I uh... as a gentleman I ... have to help anyone I see that is in need...” Roman sputtered out before he took ahold of small package of bagels “You ...you have... you have to carry..lots there.”

Virgil read his flustering as a rejection of his flirtation.

“No thanks! I got it! ” he quickly and loudly shouted in a panic as he took the bag out of Roman's hands.

Virgil thought that he and Roman had just shared a moment together.

'You just were imaging it! You shouldn't have believed Remy, you complete moron! ' He sling his messenger bag over his shoulder.

Then he draped the loops of the several other bags onto each elbow crook. And then took another bag into his left hand.

As he struggled to stuff the bagel bag into an already full bag, Roman again attempted to offer help.

“It's not a problem!” Roman gestured to the bagels.

“NO! I got it” Virgil just wanted to disappear as quickly as he could. He then placed the plastic of the bag in between his teeth.

“Cee Ou ENESAH.” Virgil shouted through clenched teeth as he retreated.

“Uh yeah.” Roman spoke to an empty damp parking lot. “see you”

Author's Note

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PATIENCE SO SORRY for the long wait!

The long pause was due to new job and lack of constant access to a working computer.

I think I will still have a job later after the situation clears, but I am unsure....

ANYWAYS!

What do people think of me backtracking and converting all of the mentions of DEE to JAE? It won't be too much trouble as he has not even appeared yet.

Taglist: (PS YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING!)

@tatesinclairr

@love-is-the-fear-of-loss

@misslilidelaney

@ishoulddyemyhairthatcolour

@dwbh888

@violetshovel

@sadgayisme

#Prinxiety #romantic prinxiety #prinxiety fanfiction #sanders sides fanfiction #roman sanders #virgil sanders #say amen fanfic

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shirlleycoyle · 3 years ago

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We Got the Phone the FBI Secretly Sold to Criminals

The sleek, black phone seems perfectly normal.

Unlocking the Google Pixel 4a with a PIN code reveals some common apps: Tinder, Instagram, Facebook, Netflix, and even Candy Crush. But none of those apps work, and tapping their icons doesn't do anything. Resetting the phone and typing in another PIN opens up an entirely different section of the device, with a new background and new apps. Now in place of the old apps sit a clock, a calculator, and the device's settings.

Clicking the calculator doesn't open a calculator—it opens a login screen.

"Enter Anom ID" and a password, the screen reads. Hidden in the calculator is a concealed messaging app called Anom, which last month we learned was an FBI honeypot. On Anom, criminals believed they could communicate securely, with the app encrypting their messages. They were wrong: an international group of law enforcement agencies including the FBI were monitoring their messages and announced hundreds of arrests last month. International authorities have held press conferences to tout the operation's success, but have provided few details on how the phones actually functioned.

Motherboard has obtained and analyzed an Anom phone from a source who unknowingly bought one on a classified ads site last month. On that site, the phone was advertised as just a cheap Android device. But when the person received it, they realized it wasn't an ordinary phone, and after being contacted by Motherboard, found that it contained the secret Anom app.

The person Motherboard bought the phone from said they panicked "when I realised what I had just purchased." Motherboard granted the person anonymity to protect them from any retaliation.

Do you know anything else about Anom? Were you a user? Did you work for the company? Did you work on the investigation? We'd love to hear from you. Using a non-work phone or computer, you can contact Joseph Cox securely on Signal on +44 20 8133 5190, Wickr on josephcox, OTR chat on [email protected], or email [email protected].

When booting up the phone, it displays a logo for an operating system called "ArcaneOS." Very little information is publicly available on ArcaneOS. It's this detail that has helped lead several people who have ended up with Anom phones to realize something was unusual about their device. Most posts online discussing the operating system appear to be written by people who have recently inadvertently bought an Anom device, and found it doesn't work like an ordinary phone. After the FBI announced the Anom operation, some Anom users have scrambled to get rid of their device, including selling it to unsuspecting people online. The person Motherboard obtained the phone from was in Australia, where authorities initially spread the Anom devices as a pilot before expanding into other countries. They said they contacted the Australian Federal Police (AFP) in case the phone or the person who sold it was of interest to them; when the AFP didn't follow up, the person agreed to sell the phone to Motherboard for the same price they paid. They said they originally bought it from a site similar to Craigslist.

Another person Motherboard spoke to who bought one of the phones said they were in Lithuania.

A photo of the security settings page of the Anom device. Image: Motherboard.

"I bought this phone online, for ridiculously low price, now I understand why," that second person said. That person also provided Motherboard with photos and a video of their device. In that case, the Anom login screen appeared inaccessible, but other settings such as the decoy PIN code remained. "Probably this phone was used by some drug dealer :D," they said.

For the past few months, members of Android hobbyist and developer forums have been trying to help the people who bought the strange phones return them to a usable state.

"I cannot install any apps because there is no [App Store], everything has been removed," one person who said they bought the phone second-hand wrote on a German language forum in March, before the FBI and its partners stopped the operation.

"If he also had access to/data, he could change all of the cell phone's settings manually," one forum user replied.

A photo of the scrambled PIN entry screen on the Anom device. Image: Motherboard.

"That's strange… You have the boot screen saying that the phone has been modified, yet you seem to have a locked bootloader… Doesn't make any sense to me :/," a user on another forum replied to someone facing similar issues.

"I have the same thing. A friend got a used pixel 4a and it's running arcaneos with the same issues described by the OP. Nothing works when attempting to flash," someone else added to the thread.

After Motherboard determined that ArcaneOS was linked to the Anom devices and had bought the phone, someone else on one of the forums also made the connection.

"This is a phone the used with that FBI ANON [sic] application to read the message with the users," a user wrote on a thread. That user did not respond to a request for comment on how they also came to the same conclusion.

The Phone

Besides ArcaneOS, the phone has a few other interesting features and settings.

Ordinarily, Android phones have a setting to turn location tracking off or on. There appears to be no setting for either on this device.

The phone offers "PIN scrambling," where the PIN entry screen will randomly rearrange the digits, potentially stopping third-parties from figuring out the device's passcode if watching someone type it in. The status bar at the top of the screen includes a shortcut for what appears to be a wipe feature on the phone, with an icon showing a piece of paper going through a shredder. Users can also set up a "wipe code," which will wipe the device from the lockscreen, and configure the phone to automatically wipe if left offline for a specific period of time, according to the phone's settings reviewed by Motherboard.

Encrypted phone companies typically offer similar data destruction capabilities, and at least in some cases companies have remotely wiped phones while they're in authorities' possession, hindering investigations. The Department of Justice has charged multiple people who allegedly worked for Anom in part for obstructing law enforcement by using this wipe feature.

Daniel Micay, lead developer of security and privacy focused Android operating system GrapheneOS, also provided Motherboard with images someone had recently sent him of a third Anom device. That phone was a Google Pixel 3a, suggesting Anom loaded its software onto multiple iterations of phones over time, and the Anom login screen was not immediately accessible.

"The calculator theoretically opens chat but it doesn't work anymore. They said it requires entering a specific calculation," Micay said. "Quite amusing security theater."

A photo of the hidden apps page of the Anom device. Image: Motherboard.

A photo of the normal apps page of the Anom device. Image: Motherboard.

Micay said others claimed that Anom used GrapheneOS itself, but "it sounds like they may have advertised it to some people by saying it uses GrapheneOS but it has no basis."

"Basically [it] sounds like people have heard of GrapheneOS so these companies either use it in some way (maybe actual GrapheneOS, maybe a fork) or just claim they did when they didn't," he said.

The phone obtained by Motherboard and the one included in the video both have an identical list of contacts saved to the innocuous looking section of the device. However, at least some of these appear to be placeholder contacts generated by a specific tool available on Github. None of the people included in the contact list responded to a request for comment.

With its wipe features and the hidden user interface, the Anom device does look like one from any of the other encrypted phone firms that serious organized criminals have used in the past, such as Encrochat and Phantom Secure. That was very much on purpose, according to Andrew Young, a partner in the Litigation Department in law firm Barnes & Thornburg’s San Diego office and former Department of Justice lead prosecutor on the Anom case.

"We can't just run a good investigation; we have to run a good company," he previously told Motherboard in a phone call. That included providing customer service and solving users' tech issues, and potentially dealing with hackers who may target the company too.

Anom started when an FBI confidential human source (CHS), who had previously sold devices from Phantom Secure and another firm called Sky Global, was developing their own product. The CHS then "offered this next generation device, named 'Anom,' to the FBI to use in ongoing and new investigations," court documents read.

In June the FBI and its law enforcement partners in Australia and Europe announced over 800 arrests after they had surreptitiously been listening in on Anom users' messages for years. In all, authorities obtained over 27 million messages from over 11,800 devices running the Anom software in more than 100 countries by silently adding an extra encryption key which allowed agencies to read a copy of the messages. People allegedly smuggling cocaine hidden inside cans of tuna, hollowed out pineapples, and even diplomatic pouches all used Anom to coordinate their large-scale trafficking operations, according to court documents.

The FBI did not respond to a request for comment.

Subscribe to our cybersecurity podcast, CYBER.

We Got the Phone the FBI Secretly Sold to Criminals syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

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fangirlshrewt97 · 8 years ago

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Conversations with Ghosts

Author(s): Fangirlshrewt97

Rating: 13+ for some cursing

Warnings: Major Character Death (by old age)

Summary: Many years after the show, Yuuri and Viktor have lived a long and happy life. Now alone after his husband has died, Yuuri visits his grave to talk to him.

[Victuuri Week 2017, Day 7: Endings, Yuuri: Memories/Moments, Viktor: Promises]

Link to A03: http://archiveofourown.org/works/9705845

The ground was covered in a fresh layer of snow, unpaved as it had only stopped snowing an hour ago. It reminded him of the first time Viktor came to Japan, that fateful day that changed the rest of his life. He trudged up the steep incline slowly, his knees protesting every step of the way. He had a wreath of blue roses in his hands, collected from his garden. The house was so quiet now, it felt haunted by ghosts of those long gone. Yuuri didn’t like being there more than he had to, though his body did not always agree.

By the time he reached the peak, he was panting, heaving himself the last few steps to the small bench there. He sat down heavily, all his bones settling in. The peak of his athletic body had long since passed, leaving behind the chubby tummy and arms and legs he had hated for so long, but now come to like. His hair had receded, leaving him with a full but thin head of hair, the same silver, Viktor’s had been for so long. His eyes were more deep set, lined with laughter lines that showed he had lived a happy life.

Managing to breathe properly again, Yuuri went to the small plot only a few meters from where had sat, leaning on the stone as he went down to his knees. He adjusted himself until he could comfortably sit on his heels, mindful to not stay there too long lest he be unable to get back up. He pushed his glasses up again before leaning forward to brush the snow off the gravestone. Viktor had insisted it be simple, nothing fancy, saying that he had been fancy enough in life.

Here lies

Viktor Nikiforov-Katsuki

Beloved Husband, Father, Grandfather, Brother and Friend

One of the best Ice Skaters the world has ever known.

December 25, 1989 - November 21, 2064

It had been a peaceful death, Viktor had passed away in his sleep, leaving Yuuri to wake up in cold arms for the first time in almost 50 years. Yuuri did not remember that first week too much, except for this hollow feeling that he knew nothing would ever fill. He had always thought that he would not be far behind Viktor when he died, and he was somewhat correct. It had been three months, and he insisted on making the climb to the top of this hill every day, no matter how much his children and grandchildren protested. He could feel his life slipping more each day, but he wasn’t scared. He had lived a full, happy life, the kind of perfect very few ever got to live. He had no regrets, and with his children all happy in their lives, there wasn’t much keeping him tied here.

Hana had tried to argue with her fathers to choose a graveyard closer to town, why did they want to be so far away. Viktor had laughed and said it wouldn’t matter much to him when he was dead. But this cemetery, when Yuuri stood up and walked a few feet below on the opposite side to where he came, you could see all of Hatsetsu. Viktor had said that this was the first town that felt like a home to him, so he wanted to be buried where he could watch over it.

“Good morning, Vitya. How are you doing? I am good. The house is so quiet now. Hana brought over Ayumi-chan and Ai-chan to visit. They are getting so big now, I can’t believe we are great-grandfathers sometimes. They stayed for dinner, so last night was nice. They had to leave today though, Hana needed to get them back to Tokyo, they are still too small to be too far away from their mother for too long.” Yuuri recounted to his husband, leaning forward slightly to shift the weight from his ankles to his knees. All those years as a top world athlete made no difference in his 70’s, his body giving him the same pains as all others his age.

Rearranging the wreath so it was more centered he continued. “Um what else? I made some katsudon yesterday. And I know, I know, the doctor said I had cholesterol and I should eat less fats and sweets. But my great-granddaughters were visiting ok, so hush. I am not going to subject our daughter to that terrible diet plan the doctor suggested when she is barely able to come anymore. Oh! Yurio called, he said that Elena had had her daughter yesterday. He sounded so happy, he sent me so many photos of the baby. It really is a beautiful baby Viktor, you would have loved her.”

Yuuri quietened, the only sound being the faint rustling of the few remaining leaves as a cool breeze whipped past him. Or more accurately though him, even with all his extra chub, it provided no insulation against that breeze. He hunched further into himself, trying to preserve that heat. He pulled out his phone, his knobbly fingers not as coordinated as they tried to tap on the holoscreen. There it was!

The photos showed a generic hospital room and bed, a young woman in the center holding a small pink bundle. To her left were Otabek and Yurio, the former’s hair a dignified gray, eyes just as serious as during his younger years but with a softness to him. Yurio’s hair was short, reaching barely past his ear, the silver making more like Viktor than he had as an up and coming ice skating prodigy. The height helped, with him towering over the two. But the years had been kind to all of them, phantoms of their youthful beauty not quite fading. He swiped to another photo, a close-up of the baby, now awake. She was smiling, her joy infectious even through the screen as her tiny fists were reaching out to whoever had taken the photo.

Through the years, Yurio had soften, not as quick to temper or react as before, and the two Yuris had finally become ‘official’ friends. Viktor had been so happy, commenting loudly to whoever would listen how his boys finally loved one another. Yurio had finally shut him up with a threat to shave what was left of his hair. Yuuri remembered the memory fondly, the twinkle in Viktor’s eyes as he retook his seat, Otabek’s small responding smile, and even Yurio’s unique begrudging and affectionate frown.

“Phichit called me yesterday night, saying that there was a documentary last night on ice skating, and how they mentioned all of us. I guess in the end we were all history makers right? You are still the most decorated ice skater, Yurio a close second. I have my three golds each from Worlds and the Grand Prix. Phichit with his gold and more importantly, his numerous ice shows over the years. He told me the most recent one is starting it’s tour in Thailand as usual but visiting 40 countries. He sounded so happy but also so jealous that he couldn’t travel with the tour. Can you imagine that? A 68 year old travelling in small cramped spaces to 40 different countries in the space of three months? Who else did he say? Oh Chris’s incredible Olympic program was played as well as talking about his following career as a judge. I talked to him too, did I tell you? My memory is starting to fade too Viktor. I searched for my glasses for two hours yesterday only to realized they had been around my neck the whole time.”

The wind that had previously been a breeze was stronger now, the chill starting to seep into Yuuri even with all the layers. The Japanese man was lost in memories of brighter days, of flashy costumes and many years left. He chuckled as he was reminded of the email he received from JJ. Although Viktor did not care for the Canadian, Yuuri empathized with him, the two forming a good friendship after that Grand Prix where he failed. JJ was actually the first from that group to retire. A too ambitious program ending in a fatal mistake during a jump that resulted in a broken kneecap and an early retirement. But he had found happiness in music, going on to produce music for many years, Isabella by his side.

He had sent all the skaters from that group a digital scrapbook(or the ones alive, even after all these years that car crash that took Georgi a dark memory. He had been so young, not even thirty, but lost in one of his daydreams, he had been hit by a drunk driver when he had gone to buy a ring for his girlfriend, so sure that he had found the love of his life. The doctors said he had died on impact, not even knowing what hit him. It brought Yuuri some small comfort, he had died thinking about his lover, happy. Not in pain). It was a collection from their various Instagrams and Fan photos mixed with videos and press photos.

Looking at those images, from Phichit’s bright smile during his short program on ‘We Shall Skate’, to Seung Gil’s ridiculous mambo shirt to even Georgi’s ripoff Elsa costume, Yuuri recalled The Year. And it was capitalized in his mind because it was the year that marked a turning point in his life. And there were the podium pictures, god Yurio had looked so miserable after making history as the youngest person to win the Grand Prix, as well as winning it during his first season in it. It changed to The Photo. The one with Viktor and Yuuri on the ice after his free program in China. Looking at it, Yuuri felt tears come to his eyes. He tried to wipe them off, but they kept coming.

“You know Viktor, you told me that year that I was so selfish when I told you I wanted to end this. But now who is the selfish one huh? I wake up every morning to an empty bed, Hana told me to get another poodle, but I said no. You know why? Because I didn’t want a poodle without you. I didn’t want a poodle who would be with me till I died than had to be a burden to someone in our family. So I wake up to an empty bed, to an empty house, to family who is a city away. Yuu-chan is gone, Mari Onee-chan is gone. Nishigori is not all there, he did not even recognize his grandson the other day. Our friends are in different countries. You told me I was selfish for trying to end our relationship before it really had a chance to go anywhere. Well what is your excuse. You stupid man, you made me fall in love with you, marry you, spend almost 50 years with you by my side. You made me make you the center of my universe and then wihtout a care you just left in the middle of the night. I want to hate you but I can’t because I love you too much.” The tears were coming stronger now, the grief that was always just below the surface these last few months boiling to the surface so easily. Yuuri’s cries were the only other sound in the empty cemetary, at six in the morning, the town was barely waking up.

“I miss you Vitya, I miss you every goddamn second. I still find myself making coffee for two when you aren’t there to drink it. When I read something funny or interesting, I turn to share it with you but you aren’t there. The house is filled with your ghost Vitya, I see you sitting in your rocking chair, squinting at the book because you had too much pride to wear your glasses.I see you in the backyard, tending to your precious roses, inviting me to come see them. I see you dancing in the living room with a baby Hana. I see you everywhere but you aren’t there. And it hurts Vitya. It hurts so much that sometimes I think I will die of heartbreak. And when I don’t I wonder why I haven’t. Hana and I celebrated Adoption Day two weeks ago, do you remember when we came to visit you? It is because it felt so fucking wrong without you there. I hate this, I hate waking up every morning without you around. I hate that it worries Hana so much and she is always checking up on me to make sure I don’t do anything stupid. Fuck!” Yuuri said as he thumped the ground, not even trying to control his tears anymore.

The skater cried for what felt like an eternity, the sun slowly rising higher in the sky, the bright day almost mocking the sadness in his heart. His phone went off, a message from Hana telling him that she was leaving the house to come pick him up. That was what finally prompted him to stop, his heart still aching as the perpetual sadness seeped back into his bones. He tried and failed at wiping away the evidence of his tears.

“I love you you stupid Russian. I love you more than anything in this world ok? You hear me? I am coming, I don’t know how much longer I can go on. So promise ok? You told me when we got married that you were going to spend the rest of your life, till death separated us together with me. Well I call bull, it’s my turn to be selfish. I want to spend eternity with you, so when I join you better be there, you hear. I am expecting you to be there when I come, waiting for you. And I know you are hearing me because you promised to never take your eyes off of me, and you never did. So what’s to say that death made that promise invalid?” The small shot of adrenaline in his system left, making him deflate. Pressing a kissing to the gravestone, he whispered a soft “See you soon,moya lyubov” before turning and heading down the hill, to where his daughter was waiting to pick him up.

moya lyubov: my love

If you liked this, please check out my other fics at: http://archiveofourown.org/users/Fangirlshrewt97/pseuds/Fangirlshrewt97

#victuuri week #day 7 #victor prompt #yuuri prompt #promises #memories #my fanfic #katsuki yuuri #victor nikiforov #sad fic #victor had died of old age #yuuri is really sad

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pens-and-parchment · 8 years ago

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Hello my bookworm friends! Today I’m doing an unboxing of the January Owlcrate! I’m assuming everyone that purchased a box has seen it already (since Owlcrate has already sent out their February box), so I don’t think spoilers are an issue. But if you’re by chance still waiting for a January box, then I don’t recommend reading this post! 😅

Last month’s theme was “Classic Remix,” so it was all about modern reinventions of classic literature. Before purchasing it, I already had a good idea of what the book was, and I was definitely thrilled to see it included in this box! In addition to a beautiful hardcover book, there were all sorts of gorgeous items that I was really satisfied with.

Disclaimer: I’m not a rep for Owlcrate or a reviewer, so all my thoughts are those of an average consumer.

Here we go!

Spoiler Card & Button

Every month, Owlcrate includes a postcard and button based on that box’s theme! Since the January box revolves around a certain musical, they went for artwork based on the theater. On the back of the card is a description of every item in the box, along with information about where each item was made. In case you can’t tell from the photo, the pin says “The Owlcrate Theater.” These added details make the collector in me very happy!

Item #1: Loose-Leaf Tea

As a die-hard tea drinker, I always love trying out new flavors and brands. So I definitely thought this was a great item! Unfortunately, I haven’t actually tasted any of this tea yet (I’m just lame and haven’t taken the time to actually figure out how to make it, since it’s loose-leaf), so I can’t really comment on the actual quality or taste. Mint and rose sounds like a delicious, refreshing flavor though, and it goes with the theme perfectly!

Item #2: Soap

This was by far my favorite item in the box, and it was a complete surprise! I’ve already used most of the soap, and it smells A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. Inspired by The Secret Garden, this book-shaped soap (if you look at the second photo and turn your head sideways, you’ll see what I mean. I took that photo before I realized the soap looked like an open book don’t judge me okay) smells of white tea and berries. I’ll definitely be purchasing more soap from this vendor in the future!

Item #3: Magnet

This item was probably the most underwhelming of the box (I’m just not a huge fan of the style, or of magnets in general) but it’s definitely creative and fits perfectly with the box’s theme! I liked how it’s based on the original Phantom of the Opera novel, and not necessarily the Broadway production.

Item #4: Calendar

One of the bigger items included in the January Owlcrate was this gorgeous monthly calendar! Based on one of the clues Owlcrate had sent out, I was expecting this item, but all the artwork is seriously beautiful in real life! The photo above is of the January page, with an illustration and quote based on Peter Pan. If you look in the bottom right corner, the back of the calendar has mini pictures of what every page looks like. The artwork is based on a variety of classic stories, including Alice in Wonderland, Call of the Wild, The Jungle Book, and more. I have this sitting on my desk, and it’s really helped brighten up the atmosphere when I’m deep into stressful homework.

Item #5: Bookmark

Alright, I finally see why everyone’s been raving about Lexy Olivia’s bookmarks. This one is insanely gorgeous, and top-notch quality. My photos really don’t do it justice. The colors and design just work together so beautifully, and the paper is very sturdy. The quote is from Slaughterhouse 5 , which I’m not even remotely familiar with, but I still love this quote! I’ll definitely be perusing Lexy’s store from now on.

Extras: Mini-Poster

Owlcrate usually includes about one or two extra flyers or advertisements in their box, and this month we got a Wires and Nerve mini-poster! Even though it’s technically an ad, it still goes perfectly with the theme (since The Lunar Chronicles books are all fairytale retellings). On a completely random side note, will you guys be reading Wires and Nerve? I’m a huge TLC fan, so I would love to see how the story continues, but I’m also not into graphic novels. They just don’t really capture my attention. Let me know your thoughts on this!

The Book

If you haven’t already guessed, January’s Owlcrate included Roseblood by A.G. Howard! Ever since I heard about this retelling of Phantom of the Opera, I immediately added it to my list of anticipated releases. When Owlcrate announced their January theme, I was 98% sure that this was gonna be the book, so I knew I had to get the box. As always, Owlcrate included a letter from the author (which I personally think is a great added touch), along with a signed bookplate! This hardcover is so gorgeous, even the print inside is red! I haven’t gotten the chance to read this book (I really hope I will soon), but I’ve heard nothing but amazing reviews. Plus, as someone who’s seen Phantom twice on stage and a few times on screen, I’m looking forward to seeing the author’s twist on the story.

In Conclusion

All around, I was very impressed by the January box! I love all the items that were included and was definitely satisfied by the high quality of everything. This was the first bookish box I had gotten after about 4-5 months of skipping out, so it felt like Christmas all over again when this showed up at my door. If you want to check out any of the stores where the items came from, you can click on each bold header for a link. I wish I had been able to publish this post a bit sooner, since Owlcrate is already marketing for their March box, but hopefully you guys still liked reading some of my thoughts even if you’ve already seen the box. Also, the next unboxing I do will (hopefully) have slightly better photos, I was in rush when I took all of these.

Did you guys receive the January Owlcrate? What did you think? What are your thoughts on Roseblood? Do you subscribe to any other bookish boxes? I’ll be getting my very first Fairyloot soon, so I’m very excited to do an unboxing for their February box (stay tuned)!

Find me on: Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads | Bloglovin’

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troygrudin · 5 years ago

Video

youtube

Muhammad Ali/Sonny Liston II 55 Years Later Why The Fight Wasn't Fixed

Muhammad Ali/Sonny Liston II 55 Years Later Why The Fight Wasn't Fixed Because of its quick and sudden end and maybe because Muhammad Ali isn’t known as the most devastating punchers among heavyweights the second bout between Ali and Sonny Liston is clouded in controversy 55 years later. Welcome to Sports Talk With Troy Where I’m a long time fan with an informed and knowledgeable opinion. Please knockout the like button, Subscribe to the channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1Dn... and ring the notifications bell to be informed about the latest Sports Talk With Troy video! Muhammad Ali made his first defense of the heavyweight championship by stopping Sonny Liston in the first round 55 years to the day of me recording this video. Ali won the fight when he landed a quick right-hand counterpunch over Liston’s attempted jab. It was a quick punch that at first glance might not look like it had too much behind it. It became known as the Phantom Punch. 55 years later there is still debate as to rather or not Liston took a dive. I don’t believe that he did and will make my case here. The fight is readily available on YouTube if you want to watch. In the opening seconds of the round Ali lands a left hook that appeared to bother Liston. Ali dances and circles to his left landing another clean left hook. Liston tries to walk Ali down behind his jab. It usually falls short, but sometimes finds the target. Liston concentrates on Ali’s body to slow him down. Ali lands another left hook that may have been blocked by Liston. Ali uses that to pivot to his left and land a hard right on Liston’s jaw. Liston continues to try to walk Ali down. Most of his punches aimed for Ali’ body fall short as Ali continues circling to his left. The knockdown comes when Liston throws a jab at Ali’s head that falls short, and Ali catches him with a quick right hook to the temple as Liston’s momentum from his punch brings him into Ali’s range. Although it looks like the punch that Juan Manuel Marquez landed to stop Many Pacquiao in their fourth fight looks cleaner and harder. It’s the same principle. Both Liston’s and Pacquiao’s momentum left them open for punches they didn’t see. Those are the ones that they say get you. So after the knockdown, Liston took the 10 count and the fight was over right? Well not exactly. Ali spends a good five to seven seconds dancing around Liston before the referee and former heavyweight champion Jersey Joe Walcott can send him to a neutral corner. This is when the 10 count should have started. Liston starts to get up but stumbles. At this point it would have been perfectly legitimate for Walcott to stop the fight in my opinion. However Liston does get back to his feet. As Walcott wipes off Liston’s gloves he looks over at the other side of the ring. As he lets the fight continue he goes over to the other side of the ring. While Ali and Liston continue the bout. Ali swarms Liston as a boxer who just scored a knockdown often does. Walcott comes back into the picture and stops the fight. From what I understand about the history of this fight is that when Walcott went to the other side of the ring. It was because Nat Fleischer the founder and editor of The Ring Magazine. Which at the time was even more of an authority than it is now. Although Fleischer wasn’t an official his word at the time carried a lot of weight. Counting the time that Ali danced around Liston before going to a neutral corner. Liston was down for longer than a 10 count. Even though Fleischer was mistaken because Ali took his time getting to the neutral corner. His word carried a lot of weight and Walcott stopped the fight. At the time of the stoppage Liston was barely defending himself from Ali’s onslaught and Walcott would have been in his right to halt the fight without outside interference. Even taking into consideration all the oddities of this fight both inside and outside the ring. I don’t believe Liston’s took a dive. Before landing the Phantom Punch or as Ali called it the Anchor Punch. Ali landed some clean punches that Liston could have gone down on if he wanted to. Although he wasn’t successful. Liston clearly had a game plan of walking Ali down and going to his body. After getting knocked down Liston could’ve taken the count no matter how long it took Ali to get to a neutral corner. My opinion is that there may have been some shady circumstances about this bout, but Ali legitimately beat Liston by stopping him in the first round. As always I’m interested in your take. Please let me know in the comments Also please like and subscribe. Also please check out the other links. My Non-Sports YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8wK... Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tfgrudin/ Referral & Affiliate Links! Wealthfront get $5000 managed for free! https://wlth.fr/2wabeGK Robinhood out! Get a free stock! https://join.robinhood.com/troyg211 #muhammadali #sonnyliston #alivsliston2 #aliliston2 #boxing #classicfights

#muhammadali sonnyliston alivsliston2 aliliston2 boxing classicfights

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minnievirizarry · 6 years ago

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Why You Should Stop Hunting for Social ROI

In the social marketing world, our unrelenting hunt for ROI stems from fear. The fear is that there is one definition of ROI for social media, but we’re just not advanced enough to know about it. If we haven’t found it yet, it’s coming. And we’d better be here to catch it when it does show up.

I’m here to tell you the fear is unwarranted. Now put on a face mask and take a hot bath, or whatever you do for fun. I don’t know, I’m in my thirties—that’s about as fun as it gets.

Social marketers have goals, contribute to their businesses in ways big and small, and achieve results that would be impossible without social media, including a proximity to and understanding of their organization’s core audiences and their needs.

From strategizing and scheduling social media campaigns, to translating campaigns across multiple social channels, each with their own levers, idiosyncrasies, and evolutions, to standing on the front lines of audience interaction, the social marketer’s primary role is to drive brand awareness and cultivate community. The goal is to increase the number of people who know about you and keep your brand top-of-mind (in a good way) among those who already know about you.

This is why our industry has struggled to “get beyond engagement” and “understand social ROI” for so long.

The “Truth” About Social ROI

The truth is, there’s no there there. Because, while this ROI topic is of great interest in our community (I can tell you with authority, as someone who markets to social marketers) and a worthy theme if you’re looking to drive web traffic to your blog, the truth is…

ROI will look different for every single organization. And it will depend largely on the individual social marketer to define it. And, by and large, it doesn’t come down to a dollar amount.

Engagement is at the core of everything a social marketer does and everything a brand is. It’s the heartbeat.

The customer journey is vast and will always be, to some extent, untrackable.Yes, even with AI and predictive analytics and those brain chip implants that are coming next (just kidding…sort of).

I can hear the “performance marketers” jeering all the way from here. Hear me out.

My ROI Anecdote

I’m into yoga, and I was searching for a podcast on the topic. I chose the most creative route and googled “yoga podcast.” The first search result was for a Yoga Journal article recommending various podcasts.

Because I trust Yoga Journal as a news source, I clicked through to check out their recommendations.

In Yoga Journal‘s roundup, I was called to this podcast: The Balanced Blonde.

Why The Balanced Blonde and not one of the six other recommendations? The truth is, I don’t know. Maybe because I’d seen The Balanced Blonde in some other context before, and some reptilian part of my brain remembered? Maybe because I liked her podcast cover art? Maybe because she came early on in the recommendation list? It’s a mystery.

I started listening to an episode and loved it. The guest that The Balanced Blonde had on this particular episode was named Jamie Graber. I looked her up on Instagram and wasn’t that into her feed—not as much unique content, not as much content in my wheelhouse—so I decided not to follow her.

I searched for The Balanced Blonde on Instagram and started following her after looking at her profile. I looked at a few of her posts to make sure they’d be aligned with the kind of content I want to see on my feed, and then decided to follow her. I now “like” just about everything she posts, seriously consider all products she recommends on social, her site, and her podcast, and check back in with her “brand” regularly.

my letter to you today — the world wants to see you happy. if you are hurting, you will heal. suffering through life is not our birthright. this year, when my health exploded before my very eyes, i lost my zest for everything that made me happy. i had zero desire to write, to do yoga, to be outside, to enjoy a dinner with friends, to connect with the moon, to even get out of bed. the skin that wrapped my entire body and was supposed to protect me was in deep pain & on FIRE. the one place i should have felt safe, in my body, felt like the most terrifying place i’d ever been. i was now emblazoned on the outside with the very sickness that i had felt on the inside for so long, and i could. not. take. it. anymore. so i did something about it. i walked away from my home, my loves, my work, my livelihood, for TWO MONTHS. and i’ll tell you it’s scary to say goodbye to the partnerships that pay my bills and the person whose arms i fall asleep in every night. but i knew i needed to, NEEDED to, in order to get my life back. and here i am. flowing creatively in a way i haven’t felt for so long. nothing is forced. everything is magic. i feel in tune with this week’s beautiful new moon energy and she flows through me like a trusted shamanic healer. i do not know where i go from here & i do not mind. i am happy & i know i am healing, and that… that is worth everything. #tbbmademedoit #tbbtravels #soulonfire

A post shared by Jordan Younger (@thebalancedblonde) on Apr 18, 2018 at 4:49am PDT

But Wait, There’s More

Before I wound up on The Balanced Blonde’s Instagram, I got sidetracked by a post from Tula Organics, another brand I follow.

✨GIVEAWAY ALERT!✨ We’ve teamed up with @ SquareOrganics to give 4 LUCKY WINNERS everything pictured above! 🎉Yep, you’ll our Purifying Cleanser, pH Resurfacing Gel, & Hydrating Day & Night Cream 🧖‍♀️, PLUS a mixed box of @SquareOrganics Chocolate Coated Protein Bars! 🍫 Cause you know what… HEALTHY LOOKS GOOD ON YOU! . ✨TO ENTER: Tag your BFF, in the comments below, for a chance to BOTH win the set of prizes!! 👯 . ✨Make sure you're following @Tula & @squareorganics to win!! (We check! ✅👀) . ✨You may enter as many times as you want. Domestic entries only. 🌎 . ✨2 sets of friends will be randomly selected for a total of 4 WINNERS. Announced here on Wednesday, August 1st!

A post shared by TULA (@tula) on Jul 27, 2018 at 8:30am PDT

This post featured a partnership giveaway with Square Organics. I clicked through on the Square Organics handle to find out more (I had never heard of the brand before), entered the contest, and also tagged a friend. I then went to Tula Organics’ website to see what new offerings they have. I ended up buying something.

Finally, I looked up The Balanced Blonde’s profile. That’s when I ended up following The Balanced Blonde on Instagram. In between, I made many decisions and engaged in a wide variety of ways.

Now you know a lot more about me than you probably want to, but here’s my point: in the anecdote above, I took part in every phase of the buyer’s journey, from awareness to consideration to decision-making to adoption to advocacy. And I did it with lots of brands simultaneously.

There is no straight line to conversion on social, because it doesn’t mirror how people behave, which is erratically, distractedly, and at often unpredictable time intervals.

I’ve signed up to be on the email lists of brands and influencers I heard about on podcasts, podcasts which I originally learned about on a Facebook Live. I’ve booked a hotel because I saw various events there on my Instagram Stories. I’ve looked up thought leaders and B2B vendors because I saw them mentioned by people I respect on Twitter. Eventually I signed a contract. All of these stories feature social as a core component and end in conversion…but where’s the social ROI?

The bottom line, social marketer: It’s time to reframe the ROI conversation yet again, this time in the opposite direction. There may be no ROI, in the traditional sense of the term. There may be no phantom dollar amount to finally tell you, down to the cent, that your valiant efforts have borne fruit. That means…

It’s Time to Take Matters into Your Own Hands

You’ll have to define ROI yourself.

Let’s take an example. Most brands on social are both engagement and web referral engines. That’s your ROI: you grow and engage your company’s audience, and then direct it to your web properties.

You hold your brand’s community in the palm of your hand, growing and shaping it through various ever-evolving strategies, and you drive web traffic.

You have amplification performance metrics, engagement performance metrics, and web traffic performance metrics.

You get your audience educated and ready to buy.

In the meantime, they know about your brand, even care about it. They love your content, and recommend you to friends. You did that.

That’s your ROI.

This post Why You Should Stop Hunting for Social ROI originally appeared on Sprout Social.

from SM Tips By Minnie https://sproutsocial.com/insights/why-you-should-stop-hunting-for-social-roi/

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ttawoabw · 8 years ago

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For today’s blog post I’m going to do something a little different. Instead of sharing a review, haul or wrap up I’m just gonna chat with you about books. I decided to do this partially because I’ve been in a reading funk and in turn a blogging funk but also because I thought it might help me get back into my groove by doing what I started this blog to do. Talk books. I thought I had pulled out of my funk when I picked up Frostblood by Elly Blake but it’s one of those books that separated into two parts and I have no idea why by the second I started reading Part Two I lost interest. So that’s been disappointing, don’t get my wrong I’m loving the story and writing but funk. I’m still hoping to finish that one by the beginning of February – though I’ll probably come back and re-read it at later date to really get a better feel for it since I’ve been stopping and starting and have basically lost my flow. Obviously having a reading funk is really unfortunate at this point in the year when there are so many amazing releases coming out. Though I’m not planning on reading many of the most anticipated books simply because a lot of them are sequels to books I have yet to read the first book of. One of my most notable anticipated releases is RoseBlood by A.G. Howard – it’s a retelling of the Phantom of the Opera and honestly it sounds so amazing. I love The Phantom of the Opera, it was the first real theatre production I saw as a younger girl (I was probably 11?) and I fell in love with the music. As I’ve grown older I’ve developed a better understanding of the dark tale about obsession and possession and despite its dark nature I still love it. I haven’t read the original book but since this is a YA Paranormal retelling that isn’t really staying true to the original story I don’t think that will be too much of an issue to me. I know some people who have never encountered The Phantom of the Opera were sent ARC’s of this books and didn’t really get it or understand so I’m hoping with my background understanding I’ll enjoy it much more. I was going to pre-order it but I had a feeling a book subscription company would include it in a January box and I wasn’t (or won’t be..) disappointed, OwlCrate one of my favorite subscription services has indeed included it in their January box so I’m looking forward to receiving that. I’m hoping it’ll pull me out of my book funk completely. For those of you that don’t know RoseBlood is fantasy YA romance modern-day retelling of The Phantom of the Opera. The original tale is about unrequited love that turned to madness (and eventually murder and a bunch of psychotic actions that you don’t really care about at first because the music is so enchanting). RoseBlood follows a seventeen-year-old opera singer, Rune Germain, who has a mysterious affliction linked to her singing. Her mother sends her to a French Art Conservatory (which is rumoured to have ties to The Phantom of the Opera) for her senior year hoping some creative direction will help. There Rune secretly befriends an elusive masked violinist who not only guides her musical transformation through dreams but also know who she is behind her own masks. As they discover an otherworldly connection and a soul-deep romance blossoms, Thorn’s dark agenda comes to light and he’s forced to make a deadly choice: lead Rune to her destruction, or face the wrath of the phantom who has haunted the opera house for a century, and is the only father he’s ever known. Now isn’t that just sound absolutely thrilling? I can’t wait and I hope to be able to write a review on it (I struggle to write reviews because A) I read so fast and usually read back-to-back and then forget key points and B) I’m an emotional reader more than a critical reader. I think this stems from my ADHD and lack of attention span but I’m working on it.). Another release that I’m really antipating is Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller – something I’ve been loving right now is pirates, and something YA severly lacks is pirates. So this books release is perfect timing for me I really won’t say much about this one exept it features a kick-ass Pirate Princess who llows herself to be captured by enemy pirates and ends up in a thrilling YA advnture with – from what I understand- just a touch of romance. I truly can’t wait for this and just as I did with RoseBlood I’m holding off ordering this box until I know for sure no book subscription boxes will be picking it up- because I’m certain this is one of the bigger debut authors of the year and that Daughter of the Pirate King is as highly anticipated by others as it is by me. On the note of other anticipated releases I’ll just quickly share a few of mine for the first half of 2017; Caraval by Stephanie Graber, By Your Side by Kasie West, Letter’s to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer (which is kind of giving me a PS: I Like You vibes with the whole letter writing thing), The Trials of Apollo: The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan, Royal Bastards by Andrew Shvarts, The Wish Granter by C.J Redwine, Catching Carly by Emma Hart and A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas. Now let me jst say a little something-something about A Court of Wings and Ruin, the cover was just announced the other day and it looks SPECTACULAR but somehting notable about it is that the dress Feyre wears on the cover was inspired BY FANART. That’s right, an incredible artist called Charlie Bowater has been making digital art prints of both the ACOTAR and ToG series both by Sarah J. Maas and a dress she has Feyre wearing in one particluar piece ended up being used as the inspiration/base concept of this cover HOW INCREIDBLE IS THAT? But that’s not all, Charlie also collaborated to help create the art for the upcoming colouring book for ACOTAR series, which I am super excited about.

The original art by Charlie Bowater

The official US cover for ACOWAR.

Speaking of fanart-author collaborations, to all those demi-god fans of Uncle Rick’s you’ll know the offical charcter art for all our beloved demi-gods and company were… quite honesly horendeous. Most people have just ignored it and looked at the incredible fanart created. Well turns our Uncle Rick knew of this and has done something AWESOME, he commissioned Viria (Viktoria Ridzel) to create the new character art for the offical website for the Percy Jackson series and Heroes of Olympus. How cool is that? Check out the difference below:

Old Artwork: Percy Jackson

Old Artwork: Annabeth Chase

Old Artwork: Grover Underwood

New Artwork: Percy Jackson

New Artwork: Annabeth Chase

New Artwork: Grover Underwood

See, doesn’t the new artwork just look so much nicer? I’ve always loved Viria’s fanart and I’m so happy that Riordan commissioned her to be the artist! You can see all of her character art in use HERE, and I really recommend checking it out because it’s awesome (plus if you play around there are HEAPS of bonus goodies and facts on the website for you to download and read!) .

Now to kind of conclude this awfully chatty post I’m going to just share three book recommendations since two of them are just stuck in my mind (they were both SO SO good) and the third is a perfect fun romantic comedy for you to pick up for Valentines Day.

First up we have To Catch a Pirate by Jade Parker. As I mentioned in the beginning I’ve been in a bit of a Pirate phase and there really isn’t much in terms of YA’s (and particularly YA Romance) in this sub-genre feild so after a little bit of digging I found this gem and decided to give it a go and see if its what I wanted. It was. It was exactly what I wanted. So I highly recommend it, it’s a YA Romance and super sweet.

Buy on Kindle HERE.

The we have A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet. This was just an awesome high fantasy with so much adventure and awesome powers and it was a thrill to read. I actually want to re-read it again and I only just read it about a week ago! I can’t wait to read the sequel which I’ll hopefully get to in Feburary. I can’t wait to see how the charcaters progress and what else will be revealed! Also I just love the interactions between all the charatcers!

Buy on Kindle HERE.

Now to conclude some recommendations I’d like to give you a straight up romance (not a YA) in preperation for Valentine’s Day. If you’ve been following my blog for a while you’d know that I am obsessed with a series called the Holly Woods Files by Emma Hart. This series was my first introdction to this author and I just fell in love with the personality the places within her characters and her writing style so when she released a laugh out loud comedy romance about a ‘hot mess’ of a character I couldn’t wait. It’s called Being Brooke and it’s a best friends to lovers romance and it made my stomach hurt from laughing so much. I loved Brooke so much and Hart is releasing another similar novel called Catching Carly later in the year so I can’t wait to pick that one up either.

Buy on Kindle HERE.

Okay well I have no idea how coherant this post actally is, but if you liked this sort of post and have some more ideas for blog posts please feel free to comment them below I love to hear YOUR suggestions and thoughts.

Also side note, I’m thinking of chaning my social media handles to actually fit with being a book blog; should I do it?

My Links:

Goodreads : Becca Winter

Instagram : becca_theory

Twitter : @Becca_Theory

Facebook : The Troubles And Woes Of A Bookworm

Becca

xxx

Book Talk: Reading Funks, Anticipated Releases 2017, Book Recommendations For today's blog post I'm going to do something a little different. Instead of sharing a review, haul or wrap up I'm just gonna chat with you about books.

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shirlleycoyle · 4 years ago

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The Network: How a Secretive Phone Company Helped the Crime World Go Dark

Listen to an audio adaptation of this story on CYBER, available on all podcast apps.

Everyone crammed into the Las Vegas hotel suite was asleep except for Vince Ramos. The Wynn luxury hotel, with its indoor gardens, seafood restaurants, and extravagant shopping, had been this group's world for the past few days, with law enforcement officials from the U.S., Canada, and Australia grilling Ramos. Four or five officials lay down after another session of questioning their suspect.

Ramos had short breaks to see his wife and one of his children, who were staying in their own room nearby. Fearing he wouldn't be able to see his family if he didn't do so, Ramos spoke at length with the agents. Ramos looked like a ghost during those breaks when his family saw him, they said.

His trip to Vegas had been a setup.

He’d travelled to meet an associate as part of his multi-million dollar business, selling encrypted phones under the brand name Phantom Secure. Phantom's customized BlackBerry phones used dedicated software designed to make an ordinary wiretap impossible. The associate and Ramos planned to attend a fight in Vegas. But instead the FBI were waiting and cornered Ramos, dangling charges above his head usually reserved for taking down mob bosses. Biker gangs in Australia, drug traffickers in California, and even members of the Sinaloa Cartel all used Phantom's phones. Rather than treat Phantom as an innocent third party to crime like Apple or Google when criminals use phones made by those companies, authorities said Ramos himself was part of criminal conspiracies. The agents had Ramos on tape suggesting he made the phones to help drug smugglers. On the other side of that hotel room door, when the agents finally stopped asking their questions, there was likely a long prison sentence.

But with the agents asleep, Ramos saw an opening.

He slipped out into the corridor without waking his captors. Ramos walked to his wife's room and said goodbye. He had a chance to get up to Washington state and cross the border back to his home in Canada.

He headed downstairs, moved through the boiler area and basement, and left the hotel. Embarrassingly for the agents still in the suite, the person they had been hunting for years had just walked away.

Ramos had always been a businessman. Before launching Phantom Secure and becoming the target of an international investigation, he worked with multi-level marketing company Amway, and went on to corporate sales for Rogers, the Toronto-headquartered telecom conglomerate. Ramos received employee of the month awards both for selling bathtubs and then for selling phones, a family member said. His mother was a nurse; his father, a janitor.

"He was very business-savvy. His whole life, he was sales," the family member said. Ramos was "definitely a businessman to the core. Not a gangster in the slightest," a source with knowledge of Phantom's operations added.

Ramos coached his son’s flag football team, the Richmond Raiders. He practiced jujitsu with one of his daughters and wore a Hello Kitty backpack while making bracelets with his children.

He also got involved with a wide range of companies and ventures. Ramos gave a video testimonial for Allysian, a wellness and nutritional supplements company. In the clip on YouTube, Ramos said in a quiet, slightly nervous tone, that he looked up to Rod Jao, the founder of Allysian, because he had "always seen him as being a successful entrepreneur."

Ramos was a bit of a positive power kind of person, the source with knowledge of Phantom's operations added. Ramos didn't want to hear complaints. In his Allysian testimonial, Ramos said, "I tried the Mastermind, the Genesis, and the vitamins, and the chocolates," referring to some of the company's products.

"All natural ingredients, what I'm putting into my body, actually makes me feel really good,” he said. “I feel like I have a lot more energy, and, you know what, I even have that extra motivation to go to the gym, and work extra hard.”

Motherboard spoke to over half a dozen sources around Phantom, including family members of Ramos, distributors who sold Phantom phones in multiple countries on his behalf, and people with knowledge of the company's operations. In most cases, the sources requested anonymity to protect them from retaliation, especially from law enforcement and criminals. Four of Ramos's co-defendants, people who allegedly helped run the company or sell phones, remain wanted international fugitives. Motherboard also obtained multiple documents from within Phantom and a law enforcement file that gives deep insight into the investigation.

Many of the sources described Ramos not as a hardened criminal, but as a person who was naive and ignorant about the situation he put himself in. They described him as negligent, not malevolent. But as the company expanded, and eventually competition ramped up, something changed, and Ramos knowingly served the criminal market.

In 2008, Phantom started innocuously. Ramos got approval from lawyers in Canada to create the firm, went through the proper channels, and got his business license, according to the family member. Business records show Phantom Secure Communications was registered in Richmond, Canada.

"It was a legitimately run company," the family member said.

On the company's early, barebones website, Ramos, under the handle "CEO," laid out in part why he said he started Phantom.

"I truly believe in our right to privacy and like many internet users I have always had a concern with the security of my email storage and communications," Ramos wrote. He said that he used to send emails that contained seemingly trivial details, like dates and times when he was coming home, but also more important information like specific business details. Realizing that email as a medium was not especially private, he looked for a way to protect his communications over the internet.

Ramos wasn't much of a tech guy; he was never really a nerd or geek, his family member said. Instead, another person, the company's chief technology officer (CTO), handled the technical aspects of the operation. Court records don't name this person, instead referring to him as Individual A and a "high-ranking officer of Phantom Secure." Motherboard found his identity and a photo of him in an FBI document, and uncovered Canadian corporate records related to secure communications companies that mention his name. Motherboard is not naming him publicly because he has not been charged with a crime, and when reached for comment he feared for his and his family's safety.

"He was a very difficult person so Vince [Ramos] kept him away from the clients," the source with knowledge of Phantom's operations said of the CTO.

Do you know anything else about Phantom Secure? We'd love to hear from you. Using a non-work phone or computer, you can contact Joseph Cox securely on Signal on +44 20 8133 5190, Wickr on josephcox, OTR chat on [email protected], or email [email protected].

Phantom's phones used a version of Pretty Good Privacy, or PGP encryption, meaning that only the intended recipient is supposed to be able to decrypt messages sent to them. Phantom went further, however, and also physically removed the GPS functionality from the BlackBerry, as well as the microphone and camera. With this drastically locked down device, a user couldn't make ordinary calls on the phone and instead could only send encrypted emails. Phantom also introduced a remote wipe feature, where a user could contact the company, and Phantom would delete messages on the phone without having physical control of the device. The company ran its infrastructure outside of Canada, and routed data through servers in Panama and Hong Kong in an attempt to keep it out of the reach of third-parties.

The privacy protection on messages from encrypted phones typically only works if the user is texting someone else who also has an encrypted phone, and sometimes companies force their devices to only communicate with phones from the same manufacturer. That way, if there was someone you needed to chat to and they had such a phone, you had to buy one too. From a business perspective, it was a way to pull in and retain customers.

Bruno (not his real name) said he started using Phantom phones in 2008 when he worked in Toronto's nightlife. Motherboard granted him anonymity to speak more candidly about the potentially grey area of selling encrypted phones. This was the heyday of BlackBerry's own messaging system, BBM, when typing out texts on a clunky QWERTY keyboard was considered stylish. Bruno said having a Phantom phone was originally a status symbol with VIP crowds, ranging from businessmen to escorts, and Ramos described the devices as the Louis Vuitton of the phone world. A phone cost thousands of dollars a year in subscription fees. Phantom marketed itself as the only full privacy solution, and its marketing worked, Bruno added.

"I had to be in contact with VIP clients to cater to their every need for bookings, reservations, etc," Bruno said, adding that he's worked with real estate agents and accountants who purchased Phantom devices.

Ramos gave free Phantom phones to rappers and athletes, including members of the Toronto Raptors, who would then use the devices with their own social network, Bruno said.

Illustration: Rebekka Dunlap

Mitsy Ramos, Vince Ramos' ex-wife and a Los Angeles-based Instagram model, said she worked for Phantom Secure and a connected company called VMD Ventures, according to social media posts. "I'll give you a deal," she tweeted to a Miami modeling agency in September 2011, along with a link to the Phantom website. Mitsy Ramos did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

"Vince was selling BB’s [BlackBerries] like he sold Amway. He was always talking about direct marketing, etc," the source with knowledge of Phantom's operations said. Ramos read books about sales, the source added. Much of the exposure was done through word-of-mouth, multiple sources said.

Later on, Phantom coated its website in a slick, black and chrome design, with silhouetted figures holding their phones. Images showed men in black suits and ties and luxury Bentley cars.

"Designed exclusively for the sophisticated executive," Phantom's website later read. Some people who sold Ramos' phones included photos of Phantom devices surrounded by gold jewelry on their social media accounts.

In a Phantom promotional video, a guitar twangs as the screen displays the company's logo. The video is littered with stock footage: men smoking cigars, leather seats, and a towering skyscraper with the company's logo obviously photoshopped onto its side.

"A True Private Experience, goes Beyond Perfection," the video says at one point.

"Offshore Swiss Account password," one fictional text between Phantom users in the video reads, demonstrating what sort of sensitive information clients might want to use the phones to send to one another.

Dance music kicks in, along with stereotypical cyber and security imagery like glowing padlocks.

"Did you know that using cell phones is the least secure form of communication?" the video asks. "Did you know regular email is similar to sending post cards? Did you know that SMS texts are sent in plaint text?"

Ramos typically didn't directly interact with his user base, which at the time was primarily Canadian. Administrators for Phantom handled new subscriptions, initiated device wipes, or removed accounts, according to court records. Bruno, who visited a Phantom office in Vancouver, said it was a 300-square-meter modern, clean office, but wasn't like an ordinary tech or startup space. Below the administrators, Ramos hired distributors, who essentially acted as middlemen between individual agents who sold phones to users, and the main Phantom company itself that the distributors would send their cut back up to. Bruno graduated from being a Phantom user to a distributor; a common route among other encrypted phone companies. Eventually he became a wholesaler.

Bruno and the source with knowledge of Phantom's operations both said that the company had a customer support center based in India. Website registration and online corporate records reveal a company linked to Phantom's CTO which does remote customer support and has a branch in Jalandhar, Punjab.

With Phantom's structure, Ramos was fairly hands-off with a large chunk of his customers, letting the workers sell the phones in their own geographic territories.

"We were free to do what we want when we want," Bruno added.

But Phantom had holes in how it hired distributors. Bruno said he moved to Asia to start selling the devices there. At first, Bruno said he simply sold the phones in exchange for envelopes of cash, but soon tried to tighten up the operation. He said he started to carry out due diligence on the sellers underneath him to make sure he was providing phones to legitimate industries and clients. He requested personal details so he could work out banking compliance and asked distributors to fill out anti-money laundering (AML) forms, where they provided names, addresses, and a form of identification so the company could verify who they were dealing with. Bruno provided Motherboard with a cache of internal Phantom documents, including filled out AML forms and bank statements, as well as driver licenses of distributors, to demonstrate some of the checks he carried out.

Early on, there were signs that Phantom's client base included criminals. Bruno said he turned down some "unsavory characters" looking to do business, "simply out of fear, let alone God knows what they were doing." Bruno filtered out the more suspicious individuals, he said.

Ramos, meanwhile, wasn't asking for much of this verification himself, according to Bruno. One of Phantom's policies was that it did not collect client names, but parts of the company also weren't verifying who was selling phones in the first place.

"Lack of screening anyone who resold the product, lack of formal contracts based on jurisdictions," Bruno said. Bruno added that he had to make a contract for Ramos to sign and return because Phantom itself never got around to making one. Bruno provided Motherboard with a copy of the contract.

"As [Ramos] built the business, he didn't really know who he was dealing with," Ramos' family member said. But ultimately, "we knew there were probably some people who were getting it for more nefarious purposes."

And some distributors were clearly keen to sell Phantom's phones to criminals. "I sold to people only that we're [sic] recommended or were from the zoo," a worker who used to advertise Phantom devices online said, using a slang term for prison. "That's how I kept law enforcement out; even if someone contacted my site, I wouldn't answer." This reseller also uploaded images with the phrase "Snitches Get Stitches" to their Instagram account.

When Ramos would visit Bruno, he would be more interested in partying than sitting down to conduct business, Bruno said.

"Don't get me wrong. He was a super nice guy. Soft-spoken, friendly, and cool to be around. But I was always pushing for a more professional relationship. Instead I got a guy who wanted to hang out as bros and party," he added. Rather than looking to solve conflict or tackling problems head on, Ramos wanted to be everyone's friend, Bruno said.

"It was a shit show how he ran the business," Bruno said. "I warned him to take things more seriously, and to enforce some form of compliance as the carelessness of his actions and the actions of other distributors was bad for his company and myself and others."

Ramos kept saying he wanted to be like Uber—just flood the market with devices and figure out regulations later, Bruno said. Soon, Phantom would have a monopoly over one country in particular.

A kilogram of cocaine in Australia can go for over eight times what it costs in the United States because of how difficult it is to smuggle drugs into the country. And top-level drug dealers needed a tool they could rely on and wouldn't let law enforcement listen in.

Here, Phantom found a new market.

"Uncrackable phones provided by Phantom Secure linked to murder of Hells Angels bikies," the headline on a March 2014 ABC article read. The report said that Australian law enforcement agencies were unable to monitor the communications of powerful criminals because of their use of encrypted phones. Even the Australian Signals Directorate, the country's version of the NSA, could not break through the encryption, it added. Intelligence agencies often can't crack encryption itself—instead, they work around it by hacking phones or introducing vulnerabilities themselves—but prospective viewers didn't need to know that.

ABC also aired a TV-spot including interviews with cyber security experts explaining Phantom's remote wipe feature and how that could specifically help if law enforcement seized the phone, as well as how Phantom deletes credit card information after a customer has paid for their device.

In the article, the outlet wrote that "the ABC does not suggest the company itself is aware its products are being used by criminals, only that criminals have become aware of the phone's utility and have taken advantage." Phantom did not respond to a request for an interview from ABC at the time, the report added.

In private, Ramos was ecstatic.

"This is the best verification on what we have been saying all along—proven and effective for now over 9 years," Ramos wrote to a Phantom employee in a message after the article was published, according to a copy of the text published in court records. "It is the highest level of official authority confirming our effectiveness. It can't get better than that." For Ramos, that criminals were using Phantom wasn't an issue, but a business opportunity. One Phantom reseller uploaded the ABC TV-spot to their own YouTube channel, promoting their devices.

That media attention "put Phantom on the map," Bruno said.

Phantom's use exploded in Australia, with distributors in the country selling the devices to criminals. Li Wang, one Phantom seller, had around 800 clients from different criminal networks, and his apartment was littered with BlackBerries, tens of thousands of dollars in cash, and meth, according to Australian media reports.

Illustration: Rebekka Dunlap

Phantom distributors based all across the country were selling the phones, according to an FBI document obtained by Motherboard. Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales, and other areas all had teams of people selling Phantom phones. The FBI document added that Phantom initially got a foothold in the country because it partnered with large scale drug traffickers—or "influencers"—who required anyone wishing to do business to also use a Phantom device.

One former Phantom distributor in Australia who is named in the FBI document told Motherboard that selling the phones "was perfectly legal, our company was registered."

The New South Wales Crime Commission, an Australian government body that aims to reduce organized crime in the region, wrote in one of its annual reports that "the prolific use of encrypted Blackberry devices continued unabated and, as in previous years, these devices were used to facilitate drug trafficking." Australia's national criminal intelligence agency specifically named Phantom as a go-to choice for organized crime groups, as well as the encrypted messaging app Wickr.

One legal document obtained by Motherboard describes how lawyers for a Phantom seller had "high level meetings with executive members of the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) concerning Phantom Secure's operations in Australia." The letter is from several years after Phantom had already attracted the attention of Australian law enforcement. (The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, which the ACC merged into in July 2016, declined to comment).

Documents show that while Ramos saw hindering law enforcement as good publicity, he may have gone further and ignored Australian authorities when they tried to speak to Phantom.

"Primarily my main concern is whether Phantom Secure is addressing official requests from law enforcement in their investigations," one document sent to Ramos by Bruno reads. "From my knowledge Phantom Secure has failed at times to reply to Australian police inquiries. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE." Bruno added that although he understood the sensitive nature of their business—protecting the privacy of their clients—"it doesn't take a legal expert to understand that ignoring official law enforcement requests is a recipe for disaster and potentially illegal."

Phantom was so popular in the country, and so trusted, that "Phantom was almost like a religion in Australia," the source with knowledge of Phantom's operations said.

From Ramos' standpoint, he was not actually dealing with these drug dealers, one of his lawyers would recall later in a court hearing.

"They are one or two steps away from me; I am selling a phone; I am in a business," the lawyer said, relaying Ramos' train of thought.

One of those clients was Owen Hanson, a tanned, muscular former USC football player. Like Ramos, Hanson also had a penchant for Louis Vuitton: the silver-plated AK-47 in Hanson's office was emblazoned with the designer's logo. Hanson had moved through real estate to running a highly successful online sports gambling business. But Hanson wanted more. Hanson, also known by his long-running nickname "O-Dog," turned to drug trafficking.

Owen Hanson. Image: Owen Hanson's Twitter Account.

He was arrested for possession of steroids. Then he moved onto dealing cocaine, GHB, and ecstasy. Then he upgraded to bulk quantities. As the operation rapidly grew, Hanson shipped thousands of kilograms of cocaine from Mexico, into Southern California, and on to Chicago. Hanson was also cashing in on the Australia gold rush, selling kilograms of cocaine on the island for $175,000 each, according to court records.

"This wasn't somebody who was trying to smuggle drugs, you know, a couple carloads of drugs from Mexico to the United States," The Honorable William Q. Hayes, a judge, would say later in a hearing about Hanon's case. "He was an international drug trafficker. He was very, very successful. And he had access to huge amounts of cocaine. I mean, he moved—he moved hundreds of kilos sometimes a month from Mexico to the United States or to Canada or other places. It is astounding that somebody has access to literally hundreds of kilos a month, and all over the globe."

Investigators were already probing Macho Sports, the online gambling business Hanson's own firm was connected to, when they discovered he had moved into smuggling narcotics. The San Diego FBI tapped his phones, a text messaging app he used, and email accounts, according to court records. Hanson gave associates burner phones. There was one line of communication that would have been off-limits to the investigators, though: his and his co-conspirators Phantom devices.

Hanson's organization used around six Phantom devices to coordinate a shipment of more than a ton of cocaine, according to court records. The Phantom users were spread across Mexico, Los Angeles, San Diego, Chicago, New York City, and New Jersey, the records say.

Phantom lets customers choose their own nickname on the Phantom network. Hanson picked Don Corleone, a reference to The Godfather movies, according to court records.

It wasn't just the name; Hanson constantly projected the almost cliched image of a mob boss. Beyond the Louis Vuitton AK-47, he invested in a restaurant and insisted that the backroom be decorated with posters of the Mafia and dubbed the "wise guy room." He stored bundles of cash under bathtubs, hidden compartments inside cars, and private vaults that required a retina-scan to enter.

In a dramatic arrest in the car park of one of the country clubs that he was a member of, with a helicopter overhead and agents pointing weapons, the FBI grabbed Hanson. His downfall was largely thanks to an undercover that authorities planted inside Hanson's organization—the undercover got their own Phantom device when Hanson vouched for him to the company, according to court records. It doesn't matter if you have the strongest encryption in the world if someone inside the conversation flips.

Ramos' family member said that Ramos never met or knew of Hanson. But that didn't matter for the investigators. Now that the FBI had busted someone who was using the phones to ship drugs into the U.S., it had a reason to look into Phantom too.

Motherboard obtained an FBI-authored document that lays out in detail the chronology of the FBI’s and other law enforcement agencies’ investigation into Phantom, that gives unprecedented insight into how they ultimately took down Ramos.

The document—a 30 page slide presentation—appears to have been created to summarize the investigation for other law enforcement agencies. Slides outline an initial investigative strategy, a revised strategy, and a takedown strategy that includes a two-prong approach: a covert phase to investigate Ramos and an overt phase to take down Phantom's infrastructure internationally.

The document itself is marked as unclassified, but it contains sensitive information such as the identity of Phantom’s CTO, names of distributors who sold phones in Australia, and other intelligence that law enforcement agencies gathered about Phantom which is not mentioned in the case’s public court documents. Beyond Motherboard’s own sources, some of the timeline of the law enforcement investigation into Phantom explained in this piece is based on that document.

When officials from the San Diego FBI flew to Vancouver to meet with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in May 2016, the RCMP had already been investigating Phantom for several years. Canadian and Australian law enforcement had found that Phantom distributed its phones internationally, had more than 15 business owners linked to the company, and estimated sales that exceeded that $32 million.

The RCMP had encountered Phantom's vouch system, where at least some sellers would not provide a phone unless the buyer was recommended by a current customer. The agency tried to buy phones through the company's website, or by just walking into their office, in six separate undercover attempts, according to the FBI document. (Bruno and the source with knowledge of Phantom's operations both disputed the idea that Phantom, overall, had a vouch system; Bruno said he would sell the devices openly online for people to buy).

When the RCMP did manage to get hold of a phone, undercover employees pretending to be drug dealers asked a Phantom support representative to wipe the device, but made it clear the intent was criminal.

"So, he picked up the load and I think he's been arrested and I need, there's a lot of evidence and fuckin' shit on my BlackBerry," the undercover wrote, making a veiled reference to a shipment of narcotics.

"You wanna wipe both of them?" a Phantom staffer replied, according to court records and an FBI document.

"Yes," the user wrote.

"One sec," the Phantom representative replied, before reassuring the undercover agent that law enforcement can't access Phantom data.

A section of the FBI document, with redactions by Motherboard. Image: Motherboard

The RCMP had also managed to obtain log-in information for a panel used by Phantom sellers, which gave an idea of the city and country the workers logged in from, according to an FBI document.

In their eyes, Canadian and Australian authorities had a problem. Selling the phones wasn't illegal in their own countries, and they didn't have the legal framework to treat Phantom as a criminal organization. The U.S., meanwhile, did: it had the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, a law used for prosecuting mafia heads who had underlings carry out their dirty work to try and keep their own hands somewhat clean. It's also the same law U.S. authorities used to go after Hanson and his drug trafficking gang.

Controversially to multiple sources around Phantom, Canada and Australia needed the U.S. to get involved to take down a company that wasn't breaking the law in their own territories. The FBI document acknowledges this, and says that the RCMP was eager to join forces with the FBI.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration had some information too: they already had recorded conversations implicating Michael Gamboa, also known as Chino, an alleged Phantom distributor who sold phones in Los Angeles. Gamboa sported a buzzcut and a shirt and tie in one photo included in the FBI document. Authorities also had their eyes on Christopher Poquiz, another distributor also from Los Angeles.

The FBI's initial plan was to take one of their informants from another investigation to target Gamboa and Poquiz, and then eventually introduce an undercover FBI employee offering to sell phones to their own network and become part of Phantom. If the FBI could have an employee work as a distributor, they could work their way up to potential meetings and conversations with people higher up in Phantom. The ultimate goal was to reach Ramos and the CTO, according to the FBI document.

On the other side of the world, the Australians were working on a similar plan. In another law enforcement meeting later that year in September 2016, FBI San Diego traveled again, but this time to Sydney, Australia. After the meetings were over, representatives from the Queensland Police Service pulled the FBI aside and offered a particularly valuable asset: they already had a confidential human source (CHS), a Phantom distributor in Australia. The FBI didn't even need to introduce an undercover employee as a distributor; the Queensland Police Service already had someone on the inside.

Every case of this size needs a big break, the FBI document reads. This was their way in.

Phantom didn't stop at Australia. Online records show Phantom had web domains and companies registered in Bulgaria, Ireland, and Singapore. Classified ads in local, English language newspapers show Phantom Secure-linked companies hiring in Thailand.

"Over time, the money was just coming in," Ramos' family member said.

Some of Phantom's revenue included large amounts of cryptocurrency, gold coins and silver bricks, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in various bank accounts and safe deposit boxes in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, according to court records. Ramos had a personal net worth of at least $10 million, with properties in Canada and Vegas, the documents say. Ramos and his wife's Vegas high-rise, gated condo came with community tennis courts, a swimming pool, and a gym, property records show. Ramos owned a Lamborghini.

In all, Phantom sold around 7,000 to 10,000 phones, according to court records. A map included in the FBI document showed the spread of some of the devices: Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East, South East Asia, and North America.

Phantom had gone global.

Ramos "said it was going too good, and that it was something that he couldn't stop," his family member said.

But for all of its glitz and marketing, Phantom's product essentially hadn't upgraded since it launched nearly 10 years ago. This was the mid-2010s, and BlackBerries certainly weren't as popular as they used to be. Other companies based their products on Android and had more features, such as an encrypted communications system that felt more like instant messaging rather than sending emails back and forth. One internal Phantom document obtained by Motherboard described how some distributors would give their customers refurbished BlackBerry devices with the Phantom software installed, but with keyboard keys falling off or cracked screens. The company was lagging behind.

Bruno and the source with knowledge of Phantom's operations said Phantom commissioned the development of an Android app, but it failed. The app "was a disaster" the source said, adding that the person who made it "could barely code."

Phantom did innovate with another app called Privé Chat that ran on Samsung KNOX, Samsung's own security-focused version of Android.

"It was decent but it was about two years too late," Bruno said. The company launched buy-one-get-one-free promotions.

A photo uploaded to the Instagram account of someone advertising Phantom Secure devices. Image: Instagram.

Ramos also tried to more directly evolve Phantom from BlackBerry to Android hardware by sourcing large quantities of devices preloaded with other security-focused operating systems.

"Hi, we are a Privacy, Secure Messaging company," a 2016 email written by Ramos to an Android phone company, obtained by Motherboard, reads. "We are interested in learning more about your hardened phones and potentially buying some in the 100s or 1000s." The owner of the Android company told Motherboard that Ramos later said he wanted to buy around 12,000 to 15,000 devices.

"He was grasping at straws to increase his hardware," the company owner said. "He was asking for massive amounts of devices." Ramos wanted to pay with Bitcoin, but the owner told Ramos the company does not use that sort of currency, the owner added.

"That's when he disappeared," the owner added.

Competition in the encrypted phone market grew more aggressive. While firms like Encrochat, which offered a similar product, had cornered much of the European market, others pushed more directly into Phantom's territory, especially in Australia.

"Our sales were going down fast due to cheaper competitors like Ciphr and others," Bruno said, referring to another encrypted phone company that was particularly popular in the country. "His [Ramos'] product was no longer that cool nor was it cheap either."

"Ciphr and Sky started moving into the Australian market with superior products," the source with knowledge of Phantom's operations said. "Ciphr was cheap and aggressive. Sky did free promos."

Bruno said he had previously met with Ciphr representatives, and "was terrified."

"I felt like I was in a mafia-esque situation during that meeting," he recalled.

While competition ramped up and its business fell behind, banks that some Phantom workers did business with seemingly started causing problems, too. Bruno said HSBC closed several of his accounts without warning. The source with knowledge of Phantom's operations also said authorities seized payments and bank accounts.

But Ramos and his agents needed the business to survive.

"Vince [Ramos] lived lavishly. He had to support his lifestyle," Bruno said. "I'm not complaining. I made damn good money in the beginning but his own greed was his downfall." Bruno said he thinks Ramos got desperate in finding new clients, and so allowed himself to do business with anyone.

Then Ramos agreed to a meeting in Vegas that would solidify his willingness to help organized criminals.

The FBI and its new CHS, the Phantom distributor feeding information to law enforcement, got to work. The investigation, officially called Operation Safe Cracking, was ramping up.

Having eventually gotten closer to Ramos, the CHS met with him for two days in Los Angeles, according to the FBI document. When the CHS described Phantom's clients as criminals, Ramos corrected him, saying that all Phantom customers are to be referred to as "executives."

The pair chatted over WhatsApp and their Phantom phones. The exact context is unclear, but the pair seemingly discussed how, if they did more explicitly turn to a life of crime, they may be very good at it.

"But if we turned [in] to executives we would be the top executives out there, lol," Ramos wrote to the CHS in one message. "But not gonna lie have so much exec blood running through. Former execs lol."

"Oh if we turned back [into] exec the it wouldn't be a problem, the CHS replied. "This business opens so many doors."

"Yes bro," Ramos wrote. "We are all former execs, We gonna do big things…I'm constantly networking."

Escalating their relationship, the CHS arranged a meeting between Ramos and a group of alleged drug traffickers in Vegas in February 2017. The group wanted a particularly large order: 200 Phantom devices, working out at potentially $600,000 worth of phones in one deal. Dressed in a tight black t-shirt and smiling, Ramos huddled with the potential customers on a couch while an NBA game played on the TV.

Rather explicitly, the clients said what they wanted the devices for.

"Three of my main guys are in prison," the new client said, adding that they lost 50 kilos from Colombia. They wanted to expand their drug trafficking business into South America and Europe.

"Okay. You don't have to tell me that, but it's okay," Ramos replied.

"Yeah, well, we're all friends," the trafficker replied.

"Just saying it out loud," Ramos added, as if he did not want the traffickers to discuss what they were using the phones for.

Although they were being clear about the industry they worked in, the client seemed hesitant to start working with Ramos.

"You know, we don't know you," they said.

"Of course. That's what I'm saying," Ramos added. "You don't know me. But, yeah that's exactly what I'm saying, right. We made it—we made it specifically for this too."

A section of the FBI document showing Ramos in the undercover meeting. Image: Motherboard

The traffickers moved onto asking about what would happen if a member of their organization was using a Phantom phone and got arrested.

"What's the first thing we should do if we get word that someone got pinched and we need to just kind of—having them fall off the radar," one of the traffickers asked.

Ramos recommended using Phantom's wipe feature, but cautioned that the phone needs to be connected to the network to receive the command.

"Because what they do now with that they have a Faraday bag. You can put the device into a bag and it does not emit any signals if you put it into like, a lab to avoid wipes," Ramos explained.

"Who has that?" one of the traffickers asked.

"What I'm saying, the authorities, the 'unfriendlies' do," Ramos added.

The clients had more questions, specifically on whether Phantom could keep the GPS enabled on certain devices in case they needed to track one of their own users. Ordinarily, Phantom physically removed this feature. And as Ramos explained and tapped through the settings on a phone to demonstrate to the client, a user could just turn off the GPS feature if they didn't want to be tracked.

The trafficker instead suggested what they might tell one of their members to make sure that the GPS remain enabled: "Yeah don't fight—don't, don't, don't, don't fuck with the phone. If you turn it off, we'll turn you off."

"Right, right, right, right," Ramos replied.

Ramos had made a serious mistake.

He had suggested that Phantom's phones were made for drug smuggling. And he had said that if a Phantom user was arrested, the company could try and issue a wipe command to the device. Unbeknownst to him, Ramos' admission was not some fleeting comment to a prospective client. These drug traffickers were undercover agents from the RCMP, and were secretly recording the conversation. The CHS had led Ramos into a trap. This wasn't a business deal; authorities had descended on Vegas and lured Ramos in an attempt to build a case on him.

After that meeting, Ramos' trust in the CHS increased, and his role was elevated, according to the FBI document. The CHS was placed in direct contact with other top-level Phantom distributors, including those who oversaw distribution in Thailand, Hong Kong, Dubai, Turkey, and Australia, according to the document.

Ramos stepped further and further away from plausible deniability. In one text message exchange, he wrote how undercovers had tried to get one of his employees to wipe a phone allegedly used for drug smuggling.

"My worker ended up wiping the device and they tried to get him for obstruction of justice.. He got off but cost a lot in lawyer fees," Ramos wrote. "So word of advice… Never acknowledge anything illegal."

He leaned into his criminal client base, and said he secured business with one of the most technologically advanced and violent criminal groups in the world. At the time he had no idea about the mistake he had made with the agents in Vegas; if anything, business was getting better again.

"He did learn to manage gangsters as clients," the source with knowledge of Phantom's operations said.

"We are fucking rich man," Ramos' February 2018 text message to a Phantom employee read. He was back in Vegas, and appeared to be celebrating. Ramos had just been in Mexico City, where he traveled to pitch Phantom devices to potential customers, according to court records. The trip had been a success.

"Get the fucking Range Rover brand new. Because I just closed a lot of business. This week man," Ramos' text, sent using the encrypted messaging app Signal, continued.

"Sinaloa Cartel that's what up," Ramos said. "And my boy is Punjabi cartel lol. Straight up," he added. The rest of his text suggested he was currently at the Spearmint Rhino stripclub in Vegas with Richard Sherman, then a star for the Seattle Seahawks. Bob Lange, vice president of communications for Sherman's current team the San Francisco 49ers, wrote in an email "I spoke with Richard and he does not know this gentleman."

How exactly Ramos ended up traveling to Mexico City, meeting with the Sinaloa Cartel, and what that deal entailed is unclear. Motherboard did correspond with Ramos over months through email and physical letter, but he didn't go into great detail.

"I am thinking of what I can put out there," he wrote in one email, talking generally about his case. "To be honest I'm at a crossroads of how much I want to put out there."

"I probably do have some questions and comments… I just have to find a way to word them. I do want to have some input in what you write as well…," he said in another message.

A text message sent by Ramos included in court records. Image: Department of Justice.

But shortly after Motherboard sent a final list of specific questions to Ramos to give him a chance to respond, including how he met members from the Sinaloa Cartel, the Bureau of Prisons cut off our communications with him.

"This message informs you that you have been blocked from communicating with the above-named federal prisoner because the Bureau has determined that such communication is detrimental to the security, good order, or discipline of the facility, or might facilitate criminal activity," a message sent by the prison's email system read. "The prisoner with whom you were communicating is being informed of this block. You may appeal this block within 15 days of the date of this message by submitting a written request to the Warden of the prison where the prisoner is located. You should include a copy of this notice, an explanation of your appeal request, and any additional documents or information you wish to be considered."

Motherboard appealed the decision, but received no explanation from the prison as for why it stopped Ramos from replying.

David Fathi, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's National Prison Project, said this sort of block is not something he's heard of before.

"Based on this limited information, this appears to be a disturbing attempt to interfere with communication between an incarcerated person and the news media—communication that the courts have ruled is protected by the First Amendment," he said in a statement.

"What's especially concerning is that essentially no information is provided about the reason for blocking communication. 'Detrimental to the security, good order, or discipline of the facility' doesn't actually tell you what the journalist or the prisoner has allegedly done wrong. Without that information, it's impossible to meaningfully challenge the decision," he added.

Ramos' celebrations in Vegas over his new customer didn't last long. Shortly after, Ramos was supposed to attend a fight. Cyborg was fighting Kunitskaya as part of an UFC tournament that Saturday. But instead Ramos was in that suite in the Wynn hotel with the law enforcement agents. Authorities had a warrant for his arrest and were ready to lump Ramos with conspiracy to traffic drugs charges, in part because of what he had told the undercover RCMP agents posing as drug traffickers a year earlier. The authorities said Phantom fell under RICO.

Agents questioned Ramos for days in the hotel, while giving him those breaks to see his wife, the source with knowledge of Phantom's operations and the family member said. Authorities showed Ramos photos of persons of interest, the first source added said.

"Vince [Ramos] said he built a good relationship over the days," the source added. "They trusted him. Hours were exhausting on all parties."

Law enforcement officers went through his phone. Worryingly for the RCMP agents, someone had sent Ramos a message earlier.

"You don't know me. I have information that I am confident you will find very valuable," one email to Ramos allegedly read. The alleged source, investigators would later find out, was Cameron Ortis, a director-general with the RCMP's intelligence unit, who was suspected of selling sensitive law enforcement information to criminals.

But right now, the group of agents didn't arrest Ramos on the spot. Instead, they gave a proposition: could Ramos create a backdoor to Phantom's network? In short, a backdoor is an extra way into a network or the information it contains, and could potentially let the FBI identify Phantom's customers; the actual drug traffickers themselves.

"He was given the opportunity to do significantly less time if he identified users or built in/gave backdoor access," the family member said. The source with knowledge of Phantom's operations also described the access as a "backdoor."

The family member said Ramos didn't install one "out of integrity and his values for privacy."

Ramos did not have the technical know-how to actually do it anyway. He wasn't the tech guy, and Victor Sherman, one of Ramos' lawyers, said Ramos didn't know how to do it. The person who could, the CTO, was across the border in Canada, not a Vegas hotel suite.

When the agents were asleep after another long session of questioning, Ramos made his dash through the corridors of the Wynn hotel and into the basement. An associate picked him up, and started to drive him to the border, the source with knowledge of Phantom's operations said. As the pair barreled north, Ramos used the driver's phone to message other people close to Phantom and warn them of what had happened, the source said. He kept the specifics vague, and it wasn't clear whether Ramos was being overdramatic or not. He hoped he could see a lawyer and put this behind him; Ramos even thought he could keep the business afloat, the source said.

"Ramos is the eternal optimist," the source added. "He knew the situation was grave, but he refused to accept." Ramos then told the source he was going offline.

Ramos left his driver, and found himself in Bellingham, Washington, a quiet town of 90,000 people just south of the Canadian border. He stopped for food in Over Easy Café, a diner that shares a carpark with a Trader Joe's.

Dressed casually in shorts and a t-shirt, Ramos quietly sat alone among the yellow walls and chairs of the cafe. He faced outward, with his back against the wall, letting him see who else was in the restaurant, Jamie Bohnett, the owner of Over Easy said. It was around 12:30, and not many people were in the cafe, Bohnett added. A local media report said Ramos ate chicken and waffles; Ramos' family member denied that.

Ramos had spent decades building Phantom from a word-of-mouth, cool-to-have gadget, through to a moderate sized business, and eventually a network preferred by organized crime. Now he was on the run, and although it wasn't clear what would actually happen if he managed to cross the border, he could perhaps still get there. For the moment, it was quiet.

Two figures who looked like businessmen entered the cafe and stopped at the bar with menus. They were nervous looking, "hyper," Bohnett added. The men said they weren't ready to order. Shortly after, one of the men went outside for a phone call. Then five or six men entered the cafe and walked over to Ramos. He didn't resist. Instead he stood up, turned around, and the men cuffed Ramos' hands behind his back. It was over.

Illustration: Rebekka Dunlap

After agents arrested Ramos on his way to Canada, authorities shut down the Phantom Secure network itself, and took over more than 180 web domains it used. The Australians, Canadians, and Americans executed 30 search warrants across offices associated with Phantom as well as the homes of criminal users of the phones. In their March 6, 2018 searches, Australian authorities seized over 1,000 Phantom devices.

A few days later, in place of the business-figure stock art that had more recently populated the Phantom Secure website, stood a message from the three law enforcement agencies that had come together to target Phantom, and a small text box where visitors could enter their email address if they wished.

"Domains and handles listed at this website were identified as related to Phantom Secure during a joint investigation involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Australian Federal Police," the message read. "To check if an account is subject to this investigation enter the email address." It is unclear what law enforcement agencies did with any of the information, such as their email and connecting IP address, that Phantom users provided to the site.

The agencies took their victory lap.

"The indictment of Vincent Ramos and his associates is a milestone against transnational crime,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a press release published 10 days after Ramos' arrest. “Phantom Secure allegedly provided a service designed to allow criminals the world over to evade law enforcement to traffic drugs and commit acts of violent crime without detection. Ramos and his company made millions off this criminal activity, and our takedown sends a serious message to those who exploit encryption to go dark on law enforcement."

"The action taken in the U.S. directly impacts the upper echelons of organised crime here in Australia and their associates offshore," Neil Gaughan, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) Assistant Commissioner Organised Crime, said in the AFP's own announcement. "Using this equipment, criminals have been able to confidently communicate securely and control and direct illicit activity like drug importations, money laundering and associated serious, often violent criminal offending, yet have remained removed from these criminal acts," he added.

The week after announcing Ramos' arrest, an additional indictment named Gamboa and Poquiz, the Phantom distributors in Los Angeles, as alleged co-conspirators, as well as Younes Nasri from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Kim Augustus Rodd from Phuket, Thailand. All remain fugitives. Phantom's CTO was not charged.

In October 2018, Ramos pleaded guilty to running a criminal enterprise that facilitated drug trafficking.

"Are you familiar with the U.S. federal sentencing guidelines?" Ramos later wrote in an email to Motherboard from prison. "Are you also aware of what percent of federal cases end up in a plea bargain or guilty plea and what happens if you actually do go to trial?"

Ramos' family member said, "He was threatened with 25 years to life if he went to trial, that's why he signed the plea bargain."

In a May 2019 sentencing hearing in a San Diego courtroom, Ramos, dressed in a khaki jumpsuit, addressed the judge when asked if he wanted to make any comments.

"Yeah, good morning, Your Honorable Hayes. For the past several months I've been thinking about what I would say when given this chance," he started. "What I can say is the truth and from my heart. I am sorry and accept responsibility for my actions that have led me to where I am today. I apologize to the Court, the government, and anybody that may have been negatively impacted by my conduct. I apologize to my family and thank them for their support. To my wife, I thank you for everything that you do. I love and appreciate you."

"Your Honor, I deeply regret and I am remorseful for my actions and negligence that allowed my company to grow the way that it did. I made mistakes and decisions that I cannot take back. I should have acted more responsibly. As I stand here in your courtroom today with my fate and future in your hands, I ask and hope for your leniency when making your decision when imposing your sentence. I am truly sorry, Your Honor. Thank you," Ramos said.

In an earlier letter to the judge, Ramos wrote, "I would be lying if I said that I wasn't aware of what was going on."

"The reality was that I turned a blind eye and didn't want to face reality. I was making money and providing for my wife and children," he added.

Both Sherman, one of Ramos' lawyers, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Young agreed that this was an unprecedented case, according to a transcript of the hearing. This was the first time the U.S. had targeted a company for its role in providing a criminal organization with technology to help them "go dark" or evade law enforcement detection of their crimes.

"Now, it is a kind of two-edged sword to be honest," Sherman said, referring to the extraordinary nature of the prosecution against Ramos. Although acknowledging that Ramos should have realized that providing such a service to criminals could do great damage, there wasn't a rule "that would tell him that he was doing something wrong." It's not illegal to sell phones, even to criminals, in and of itself.

But the evidence suggested Ramos was deliberately helping drug traffickers. For lawyers, it may be obvious that selling a phone that you know is being used in some kind of illegal way would fall under a conspiracy law, Sherman elaborated. "I don't think that it was obvious to Mr. Ramos," he added.

Young, on the other hand, made a distinction between someone knowing that something is illegal, and believing that you are not going to get prosecuted for it.

"I think this defendant fell in the latter category," Young said. "He was not prosecuted because he was selling encrypted communications and encrypted devices to criminals. He was prosecuted because he was in agreement with these people providing them the technology that they could use to facilitate their crimes, and the criminals that are spilling into this industry are the most sophisticated in the world."

Young stressed this case wasn't just about encrypted phones. People who may make other tools that criminals could use, such as particular cryptocurrencies, or perhaps elements of the so-called dark web, "are watching what happens here today."

"And they are making decisions based on whether or not they are going to continue to provide these products and technology to criminals and whether it is worth the risk," Young added.

A section of the indictment filed against Ramos and his alleged co-conspirators. Image: Department of Justice.

In December 2017, Judge Hayes sentenced Hanson, the former UFC footballer turned drug trafficker, to 21 years in prison. Now in his remarks building up to delivering Ramos' sentence, Hayes said "The history and characteristics of Mr. Ramos, as with many individuals who come before the court: mixed." He is a gentleman, well spoken, and obviously a very talented businessman and very successful in legitimate employment before this case, Hayes added.

"But at some point he became very successful in the business he was in," and "he was committing crimes by doing it," Hayes continued. "And at some point I have no doubt that he understood what he was doing was criminal;" that is, assisting drug traffickers. Weighing up factors such as the scale of the operation, the fact that Ramos had no prior criminal record, and that many of the people Ramos assisted likely would have committed their crimes with or without Ramos' help, Hayes came to a decision.

The judge sentenced Ramos to nine years in prison.

This was significantly less than the 14 years prosecutors asked for. Ramos may be able to transfer to Canada after five years in an American jail. After release, he will also be barred from engaging "in the employment or profession relating to developing and maintaining encryption services and devices," Hayes said during the hearing.

Multiple sources in and around Phantom did not see a RICO case coming against the company. Some civil legal problems from importing SIM cards perhaps. But not the law used to specifically take down criminal organizations.

"Many people believed that what I was doing was completely legal and that this was a war on privacy," Ramos said in an email from prison. He is currently incarcerated in USP Marion, a medium security jail in south Illinois. Ramos was referring to the wave of attorneys, privacy advocates, and other people interested in his case that he said contacted him after the FBI announced his arrest.

"Nobody actually thought selling to [criminals] was illegal. It isn't in Canada. Or Australia," the source with knowledge of Phantom's operations said. "It is under RICO in the USA."

"If the Kangaroos can't take you down they'll call the big Eagle. And the Eagle can take anyone down," Bruno said.

Serious organized criminals continue to use encrypted phones to communicate, moving from one provider to another as law enforcement agencies chip away at them bit-by-bit. Some drug traffickers used the services of a firm called Ennetcom, before Dutch authorities shuttered it. Other criminals have even gone so far as to create their own encrypted phone companies; firms such as Scottish-based MPC were literally created by and for organized crime.

Law enforcement agencies' operations against the phone companies have escalated too. In March of this year, French police managed to infiltrate Encrochat. But they went a dramatic step further, and pushed malware onto the Encrochat devices themselves, letting investigators read users' messages before they were sent layered in encryption. Authorities obtained tens of millions of text messages, and arrested hundreds of suspected criminals.

In parallel, the use of encrypted or privacy-focused messaging apps has skyrocketed, by criminals but mostly among the wider public. Wickr is a free encrypted messaging app that offers extra features to enterprise customers; Signal is another similar app developed by a non-profit organisation and which also provides the cryptographic code that powers many other encrypted messaging apps, including WhatsApp.

Ramos could have "had a Wickr or Signal before they even hit the scene," Bruno said.

"Had he invested in the right team, structure, management, advisory etc," he added. "But he just wanted to party and drive expensive cars… such a waste."

The Network: How a Secretive Phone Company Helped the Crime World Go Dark syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

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