Proceedings of the ... AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Jun 26, 2023
This paper presents AI-SNIPS (AI Support for Network Intelligence-based Pharmaceutical Security),... more This paper presents AI-SNIPS (AI Support for Network Intelligence-based Pharmaceutical Security), a productionready platform that enables stakeholder decision-making, secure data sharing, and interdisciplinary research in the fight against Illicit, Substandard, and Falsified Medical Products (ISFMP). AI-SNIPS takes as input cases: a case consists of one or more URLs suspected of ISFMP activity. Cases can be supplemented with ground-truth structured data (labeled keywords) such as seller PII or case notes. First, AI-SNIPS scrapes and stores relevant images and text from the provided URLs without any user intervention. Salient features for predicting case similarity are extracted from the aggregated data using a combination of rule-based and machinelearning techniques and used to construct a seller network, with the nodes representing cases (sellers) and the edges representing the similarity between two sellers. Network analysis and community detection techniques are applied to extract seller clusters ranked by profitability and their potential to harm society. Lastly, AI-SNIPS provides interpretability by distilling common word/image similarities for each cluster into signature vectors. We validate the importance of AI-SNIPS's features for distinguishing large pharmaceutical affiliate networks from small ISFMP operations using an actual ISFMP lead sheet.
Indicates the importance of the Informal Value Transfer System (IVTS) and hawala in particular as... more Indicates the importance of the Informal Value Transfer System (IVTS) and hawala in particular as a means whereby immigrant workers can send remittances to their home countries, and the reasons for suspecting that these systems can be used to transfer funds which support terrorist activities. Lists the indicators of IVTS activity. Lists and discusses the possible indicators of criminal abuse: different charging, recording or collection methods for some clients, some large transactions not recorded, large sums transferred daily or from a single customer, unusual or unsound transactions, and transfers to traders or companies engaged in a very different kind of business or in illegal activities. Argues that a large daily turnover may be the most important indicator, since this can indicate that money is going out one door in order to come back through the other, which means money laundering.
This report presents the findings of a preliminary study into what is commonly called "undergroun... more This report presents the findings of a preliminary study into what is commonly called "underground banking systems". The study was funded by the Research and Documentation Centre of the Dutch Ministry of Justice, which acted on the advice of the Advisory Committee for Research on Organized Crime. As the conventional banking industry is increasingly being regulated, many fear that criminal organizations may turn to alternatives, such as "underground banking systems", in order to avoid detection. The main goals of the study were to provide a policy-useful analysis of the way in which such systems operate, the extent to which criminals may resort to their services, and the policies adopted by different governments. This relatively short study did not start with many ambitions of generating new and original data. Rather, the objective was to take stock of what is known about the issue, to separate myths from reality about the problem, and to offer a first assessment of the risks posed by "underground banking systems". This should give a good indication as to whether urgent measures need to be taken or more research is necessary before considering any policy or legislative adjustments. The methods for this project consisted in a combination of archival, legal and historical analysis with unstructured interviews with regulators, law enforcement agents and academic or other experts from the USA,
Implementation of anti-corruption strategy of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2025 provisions as t... more Implementation of anti-corruption strategy of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2025 provisions as the format of the anti-corruption training for civil servants at the Academy of public administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Synchronizing counter-terror and economic policy • "We will starve terrorists of funding, turn th... more Synchronizing counter-terror and economic policy • "We will starve terrorists of funding, turn them against each other, rout them out of their safe hiding places, and bring them to justice." President George W. Bush; September 24, 2001 • AML/AC • "…remittances…are a tremendous source of capital flowing directly into the hands of consumers and households in the developing world. We agreed to work on reducing the roadblocks for people sending money back to their families. This means identifying and removing the barriers that slow the flow of remittances, make transactions expensive or encourage money to flow through informal channels" US Treasury Secretary John Snow, February 2004, G7.
This paper focuses on financial controls and vigilance against the proliferation of Weapons of Ma... more This paper focuses on financial controls and vigilance against the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). It refers to the new Financial Action task Force (FATF) Recommendations on this subject and outlines relevant provisions of the U.N. Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs) and the considerable challenges facing the international community in their implementation. While it suggests that there is a good deal of work underway towards consistent and effective implementation, it points to some concrete measures and areas where counter-proliferation finance efforts could focus, particularly in the area of commerce and trade.
The Church of Scientology (CoS) has been the center of controversy and moral panics around the wo... more The Church of Scientology (CoS) has been the center of controversy and moral panics around the world. Many of its critics, including government and professional bodies suggest that it is a "destructive cult" with values in conflict with society. Against such views, it is argued that the CoS both reflects and relies on conventional values. The CoS is analyzed as a successful commercial enterprise which, seeking to achieve its goals, occasiody adopts iliicit means. The CoS's business is also deviant in that it denies its commercial structure. Ironically, it is this very denial, this very deviance that helps explain its survival and success. Few new religious movements (NRMs) have created more controversy than the Church of Scientology (CoS), which has been subjected to intense attacks from both individuals and organizations that consider it a "destmctive cult". In the United Kingdom (UK), during a mal that made headlines Justice Latey stated that "Scientology is both immoral and socially obnoxious. In my judgement it is corrupt, sinister and dangemus" (quoted in Lamont, 1986, p. 149). Former CoS members, journalists, professional bodies, and governments have joined voices against the
Proceedings of the ... AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Jun 26, 2023
This paper presents AI-SNIPS (AI Support for Network Intelligence-based Pharmaceutical Security),... more This paper presents AI-SNIPS (AI Support for Network Intelligence-based Pharmaceutical Security), a productionready platform that enables stakeholder decision-making, secure data sharing, and interdisciplinary research in the fight against Illicit, Substandard, and Falsified Medical Products (ISFMP). AI-SNIPS takes as input cases: a case consists of one or more URLs suspected of ISFMP activity. Cases can be supplemented with ground-truth structured data (labeled keywords) such as seller PII or case notes. First, AI-SNIPS scrapes and stores relevant images and text from the provided URLs without any user intervention. Salient features for predicting case similarity are extracted from the aggregated data using a combination of rule-based and machinelearning techniques and used to construct a seller network, with the nodes representing cases (sellers) and the edges representing the similarity between two sellers. Network analysis and community detection techniques are applied to extract seller clusters ranked by profitability and their potential to harm society. Lastly, AI-SNIPS provides interpretability by distilling common word/image similarities for each cluster into signature vectors. We validate the importance of AI-SNIPS's features for distinguishing large pharmaceutical affiliate networks from small ISFMP operations using an actual ISFMP lead sheet.
Indicates the importance of the Informal Value Transfer System (IVTS) and hawala in particular as... more Indicates the importance of the Informal Value Transfer System (IVTS) and hawala in particular as a means whereby immigrant workers can send remittances to their home countries, and the reasons for suspecting that these systems can be used to transfer funds which support terrorist activities. Lists the indicators of IVTS activity. Lists and discusses the possible indicators of criminal abuse: different charging, recording or collection methods for some clients, some large transactions not recorded, large sums transferred daily or from a single customer, unusual or unsound transactions, and transfers to traders or companies engaged in a very different kind of business or in illegal activities. Argues that a large daily turnover may be the most important indicator, since this can indicate that money is going out one door in order to come back through the other, which means money laundering.
This report presents the findings of a preliminary study into what is commonly called "undergroun... more This report presents the findings of a preliminary study into what is commonly called "underground banking systems". The study was funded by the Research and Documentation Centre of the Dutch Ministry of Justice, which acted on the advice of the Advisory Committee for Research on Organized Crime. As the conventional banking industry is increasingly being regulated, many fear that criminal organizations may turn to alternatives, such as "underground banking systems", in order to avoid detection. The main goals of the study were to provide a policy-useful analysis of the way in which such systems operate, the extent to which criminals may resort to their services, and the policies adopted by different governments. This relatively short study did not start with many ambitions of generating new and original data. Rather, the objective was to take stock of what is known about the issue, to separate myths from reality about the problem, and to offer a first assessment of the risks posed by "underground banking systems". This should give a good indication as to whether urgent measures need to be taken or more research is necessary before considering any policy or legislative adjustments. The methods for this project consisted in a combination of archival, legal and historical analysis with unstructured interviews with regulators, law enforcement agents and academic or other experts from the USA,
Implementation of anti-corruption strategy of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2025 provisions as t... more Implementation of anti-corruption strategy of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2025 provisions as the format of the anti-corruption training for civil servants at the Academy of public administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Synchronizing counter-terror and economic policy • "We will starve terrorists of funding, turn th... more Synchronizing counter-terror and economic policy • "We will starve terrorists of funding, turn them against each other, rout them out of their safe hiding places, and bring them to justice." President George W. Bush; September 24, 2001 • AML/AC • "…remittances…are a tremendous source of capital flowing directly into the hands of consumers and households in the developing world. We agreed to work on reducing the roadblocks for people sending money back to their families. This means identifying and removing the barriers that slow the flow of remittances, make transactions expensive or encourage money to flow through informal channels" US Treasury Secretary John Snow, February 2004, G7.
This paper focuses on financial controls and vigilance against the proliferation of Weapons of Ma... more This paper focuses on financial controls and vigilance against the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). It refers to the new Financial Action task Force (FATF) Recommendations on this subject and outlines relevant provisions of the U.N. Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs) and the considerable challenges facing the international community in their implementation. While it suggests that there is a good deal of work underway towards consistent and effective implementation, it points to some concrete measures and areas where counter-proliferation finance efforts could focus, particularly in the area of commerce and trade.
The Church of Scientology (CoS) has been the center of controversy and moral panics around the wo... more The Church of Scientology (CoS) has been the center of controversy and moral panics around the world. Many of its critics, including government and professional bodies suggest that it is a "destructive cult" with values in conflict with society. Against such views, it is argued that the CoS both reflects and relies on conventional values. The CoS is analyzed as a successful commercial enterprise which, seeking to achieve its goals, occasiody adopts iliicit means. The CoS's business is also deviant in that it denies its commercial structure. Ironically, it is this very denial, this very deviance that helps explain its survival and success. Few new religious movements (NRMs) have created more controversy than the Church of Scientology (CoS), which has been subjected to intense attacks from both individuals and organizations that consider it a "destmctive cult". In the United Kingdom (UK), during a mal that made headlines Justice Latey stated that "Scientology is both immoral and socially obnoxious. In my judgement it is corrupt, sinister and dangemus" (quoted in Lamont, 1986, p. 149). Former CoS members, journalists, professional bodies, and governments have joined voices against the
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