Policy Prompt

The playing field for modern scams is bigger than ever. Entire guarded compounds are dedicated to online and phone fraud, and the network of influence and intimidation these organizations hold grows daily, facilitated by emerging technology such as artificial intelligence and mass automation. An epicentre has emerged in East and Southeast Asia; Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, China and more are both sources and victims of organized scams. Local governments have been cracking down to an extent, but this hydra has heads at all levels of public influence — a stronger, more coordinated approach is needed to conquer this beast.
This episode features experts Mark Bo and Ivan Franceschini in conversation with Paul on the scam industry and its victims, how organized scam syndicates can start to take over local economies through corruption and human trafficking, and what most people misunderstand about how these organizations operate. Based in East and Southeast Asia for two decades, Mark is a researcher who utilizes his background in corporate and financial mapping to investigate Asia’s online gambling, fraud, and money laundering industries. Ivan, a lecturer in Chinese Studies at the Centre for Contemporary Chinese Studies, Asia Institute, focuses his research on globalization, labour, and the evolving dynamics of crime in the digital age, particularly on the cyber-fraud industry.
Mentioned:
Sihanoukville, Cambodia: https://www.britannica.com/place/Sihanoukville
Pig butchering scam - a common crypto investment scheme: https://dfpi.ca.gov/news/insights/pig-butchering-how-to-spot-and-report-the-scam/#:~:text=Pig%20butchering%20is%20an%20investment,exchange%20to%20purchase%20crypto%20assets.
Scam centres in Cambodia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scam/_centers/_in/_Cambodia#
Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation: https://www.bluedragon.org/
Chen Zhi, the young tycoon accused of masterminding a multibillion-dollar international fraud network: https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/24/asia/cambodia-scams-chen-zhi-prince-group-intl-hnk
Federal Trade Commission data shows US consumers lost over $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/03/new-ftc-data-show-big-jump-reported-losses-fraud-125-billion-2024#:~:text=Newly%20released%20Federal%20Trade%20Commission,all%20other%20payment%20methods%20combined.
UNODC 2025 Technical Policy Report: Inflection Point: Global Implications of Scam Centres, * Underground Banking and Illicit Online Marketplaces in Southeast Asia: https://www.unodc.org/roseap/uploads/documents/Publications/2025/Inflection_Point_2025.pdf
UNODC 2023 Policy Report: Casinos, cyber fraud, and trafficking in persons for forced criminality in Southeast Asia: https://www.unodc.org/roseap/uploads/documents/Publications/2023/TiP_for_FC_Policy_Report.pdf
South Korea sanctions 15 individuals, 132 entities over online scams in Southeast Asia: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/s-korea-sanctions-15-individuals-132-entities-over-online-scams-in-southeast-asia/ar-AA1RfgLi?apiversion=v2&domshim=1&noservercache=1&noservertelemetry=1&batchservertelemetry=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1
More than 1,000 arrested in Cambodian cyber-scam raids: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/16/more-than-1000-arrested-in-cambodian-cyber-scam-raids
Further Reading:
Mark Bo’s bio: https://www.versobooks.com/en-ca/blogs/authors/bo-mark?srsltid=AfmBOopSu7unvmVdZYFG2%5C_BC4teQZsQYrGpPia8vYTx-YfTjZ91h3Ib4
Ivan Franceschini’s bio: https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/1108680-ivan-franceschini
Mark Bo, Ivan Franceschini and Ling Li, Scam: Inside Southeast Asia’s Cybercrime Compounds (Verso, 2025)
Credits:
Policy Prompt is produced by Vass Bednar and Paul Samson. Our supervising producer is Tim Lewis, with technical production by Henry Daemen and Luke McKee. Show notes are prepared by Rebecca MacIntyre, Libza Manna and Isabel Neufeld, who also handles social media engagement, brand design and episode artwork by Abhilasha Dewan and Sami Chouhdary, with creative direction from Som Tsoi. 
Original music by Joshua Snethlage. 
Sound mix and mastering by François Goudreault. 
Be sure to follow us on social media. 
X: @_policyprompt
IG: @cigionline 
Listen to new episodes of Policy Prompt on all major podcast platforms. Questions, comments or suggestions? Reach out to CIGI’s Policy Prompt team at [email protected]

Neurotechnology is a dual-use technology transforming lives — from implantable devices that use deep brain stimulation to ease tremors from Parkinson’s disease to commercial wearables that promise more effective meditation. But without the necessary legal, ethical, and regulatory safeguards, the misuse and abuse of neurotechnology and the data it collects becomes inevitable.
In this episode, hosts Vass Bednar and Paul Samson speak with Jared Genser about neurotechnology, its implications for humanity, and the emerging dilemmas around neuro-rights, freedom of thought, and mental privacy. Jared is an international human rights lawyer and managing director of the law firm Perseus Strategies. He is a co-founder and general counsel to the Neurorights Foundation, and a special adviser on the Responsibility to Protect to the Organization of American States.
Mentioned:
Neuralink: neuralink.com/
Chile: Pioneering the protection of neurorights: courier.unesco.org/en/articles/chile-pioneering-protection-neurorights
Brain-computer interface: cumming.ucalgary.ca/research/pediatric-bci/bci-program/what-bci
Brain implant and AI gives a woman with paralysis her voice back (research led by Dr. Edward Chang): youtu.be/iTZ2N-HJbwA?si=u6d05795MdJ_3uO2
EMOTIV and Rodrigo Hubner Mendes drive an F1 car using electroencephalography (EEG): youtu.be/NhmXaeaHkDc?si=GX5hrjnyCfS2yR3h
Robotic exoskeleton helps paralyzed person kick first ball of 2014 World Cup: youtu.be/ClRqZbRxcNI?si=7Gdqjq6MRpJiM3Pi
President Obama’s Brain Initiative: obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/node/300741
Meta acquires CTRL-labs for wristband technology that allows people to control devices using their brains: cnbc.com/2019/09/23/facebook-announces-acquisition-of-brain-computing-start-up-ctrl-labs.html
EEG scanners in Apple AirPods: https://tinyurl.com/ypk72f8h
Australian device decodes thought-to-text with 40% accuracy: uts.edu.au/news/2023/12/portable-non-invasive-mind-reading-ai-turns-thoughts-text?
DreamConnect guides dreams with AI (decoding dreams into images): eurekalert.org/news-releases/1096544
Boston University brain scientist shows that electrostimulation can restore a 70-year-old’s working memory to that of a 20-year-old: bu.edu/articles/2019/electrostimulation-can-improve-working-memory/
Kernel, a wearable device that delivers information on brain function: kernel.com/
Werner Herzog’s documentary Theater of Thought: neurorightsfoundation.org/media/herzog-film
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: pascalhealthinstitute.com/why-crps-is-called-the-suicide-disease/
Further Reading:
Jared Genser’s bio: perseus-strategies.com/team/jared-genser-english/
Neurorights Foundation: neurorightsfoundation.org/
Freedom of Thought: Reviving and Protecting a Forgotten Human Right, special report by Susie Alegre and Aaron Shull cigionline.org/publications/freedom-of-thought-reviving-and-protecting-a-forgotten-human-right/
Credits:
Policy Prompt is produced by Vass Bednar and Paul Samson. Our supervising producer is Tim Lewis, with technical production by Henry Daemen and Luke McKee. Show notes are prepared by Rebecca MacIntyre, Libza Manna and Isabel Neufeld, who also handles social media engagement, brand design and episode artwork by Abhilasha Dewan and Sami Chouhdary, with creative direction from Som Tsoi. 
Original music by Joshua Snethlage. 
Sound mix and mastering by François Goudreault. 
Be sure to follow us on social media. 
X: @_policyprompt
IG: @cigionline 
Listen to new episodes of Policy Prompt on all major podcast platforms. Questions, comments or suggestions? Reach out to CIGI’s Policy Prompt team at [email protected]

Artificial intelligence (AI) has had a profound impact on science, from data analysis to scenario simulation and predicting protein structure — its full potential is still unknown. Today, many scientists are dedicated to better understanding AI and how to integrate it into research to accelerate the pace of scientific discoveries without compromising rigour and principle. Is there a future where AI will make new scientific discoveries on its own?   
Join hosts Vass Bednar and Paul Samson as they speak with Rebecca Willett about the role machine learning and AI play in scientific research now and how she sees it impacting scientists in the future. Rebecca is a professor of statistics and computer science at the University of Chicago and faculty director of artificial intelligence at the University’s Data Science Institute. Her research focuses on machine learning and making sense of complex, large-scale datasets, as well as data science. Rebecca completed her PhD in electrical and computer engineering at Rice University and is a member of the Computer Science Study Group at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). 
In-Show Clips:
00:15:03: NOVA scienceNOW, "What Will the Future Be Like?": FoldIt: A Protein Puzzle Game (PBS LearningMedia, 2013)
00:15:17: Nature Video: Foldit: Biology for gamers (YouTube, August 4, 2010)
Mentioned:
Google DeepMind AlphaFold: deepmind.google/science/alphafold/
Protein folding computer game Foldit: fold.it/
The COVID-19 Citizen Science Study: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8407439/
People-powered research platform Zooniverse: zooniverse.org/
Further Reading:
Rebecca Willet, professor of statistics and computer science at the University of Chicago and faculty director of artificial intelligence at the University’s Data Science Institute. Find her bio and works here: willett.psd.uchicago.edu/
Credits:
Policy Prompt is produced by Vass Bednar and Paul Samson. Our supervising producer is Tim Lewis, with technical production by Henry Daemen and Luke McKee. Show notes are prepared by Rebecca MacIntyre, Libza Manna and Isabel Neufeld, who also handles social media engagement, brand design and episode artwork by Abhilasha Dewan and Sami Chouhdary, with creative direction from Som Tsoi. 
Original music by Joshua Snethlage. 
Sound mix and mastering by François Goudreault. 
Be sure to follow us on social media. 
X: @_policyprompt
IG: @cigionline 
Listen to new episodes of Policy Prompt on all major podcast platforms. Questions, comments or suggestions? Reach out to CIGI’s Policy Prompt team at [email protected]

Often compared to ocean shipping lanes, Earth’s orbital layers act as channels to almost 14,000 satellites moving at around 7 km/second. These orbital pathways are becoming increasingly congested as a rapidly growing number of commercial actors enter what was once a predominantly state-run domain. Can the 1967 Outer Space Treaty hold up against this space revolution? Can international structures quickly modernize and work together to ensure all players in the space race are committed to a safe and sustainable future?
Join hosts Vass Bednar and Paul Samson as they speak with guests Esther Brimmer and Jessica West about a comprehensive and collaborative approach to space governance. Esther is a senior fellow at the US Council on Foreign Relations, a former US assistant secretary of state and an expert in international institutions. Jessica is a CIGI senior fellow and a senior researcher at Project Ploughshares, a Canadian peace and security research institute, where she focuses on technology, security and governance in outer space.
In-Show Clips:
00:29:04: Universal Studios: “New Moon. Reds Launch First Space Satellite” (Internet Archive, October 7, 1957)
Mentioned:
UN Outer Space Treaty: https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/spacelaw/treaties/introouterspacetreaty.html
International Maritime Organization Polar Code:  
imo.org/en/ourwork/safety/pages/polar-code.aspx 
Geostationary orbit: 
wikipedia.org/wiki/Geostationary_orbit 
United Arab Emirates future space planning: 
space.gov.ae/en/media-center/blogs/2/3/2020/uae-shaping-future-of-earth-observation-satellites-and-space-exploration 
UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space: 
https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/copuos/current.html
Philippine National Statements during the 68th Session of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space: 
philsa.gov.ph/news/philippine-national-statements-during-the-68th-session-of-the-united-nations-committee-on-the-peaceful-uses-of-outer-space-un-copuos/ 
Canada’s statement to the First Committee of the 79th Session of the United Nations, Thematic Debate: Outer Space: 
international.gc.ca/world-monde/issues_development-enjeux_developpement/peace_security-paix_securite/weapon-armes-control-documents/thematic-debat6.aspx?lang=eng 
Further Reading:
Jessica West, CIGI senior fellow and senior researcher at Project Ploughshares. Find her CIGI bio and works here: cigionline.org/people/jessica-west/ 
Esther Brimmer, James H. Binger senior fellow in global governance and former assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs. Find her Council on Foreign Relations bio and works here: cfr.org/expert/esther-brimmer
Credits:
Policy Prompt is produced by Vass Bednar and Paul Samson. Our supervising producer is Tim Lewis, with technical production by Henry Daemen and Luke McKee. Show notes are prepared by Lynn Schellenberg, social media engagement by Isabel Neufeld, brand design and episode artwork by Abhilasha Dewan and Sami Chouhdary, with creative direction from Som Tsoi. 
Original music by Joshua Snethlage. 
Sound mix and mastering by François Goudreault. 
Be sure to follow us on social media. 
X: @_policyprompt
IG: @cigionline 
Listen to new episodes of Policy Prompt on all major podcast platforms. Questions, comments or suggestions? Reach out to CIGI’s Policy Prompt team at [email protected]

For centuries, the power to create money was isolated to traditional issuers, who built trust over the ages. But now stablecoins are starting to pull at that monopoly, rising up in relevance as a massive innovation on infrastructure. Some jurisdictions are turning things upside down with digital asset adoption, while others are holding back, with important geopolitical implications. 
On season two’s opener, hosts Vass Bednar and Paul Samson welcome Ali Abou Daya and Morva Rohani to discuss the emergence and transformative nature of crypto and stablecoins. Ali is the chief executive officer of Transactix Financial, a stablecoin company, and Morva is the executive director of the Canadian Web3 Council, an industry organization that advocates for responsible public policy. Together the four consider the digitalization of traditional finance, and the challenges surrounding establishing trust and who controls what.
Mentioned:
Blockchain: see CIGI’s explainer video “What Is Blockchain?” (YouTube, January 4, 2018)
“In God We Trust” printed on US currency: see www.congress.gov/committee-report/112th-congress/house-report/47/1 and David Mislin, “The complex history of ‘In God We Trust’” (The Conversation, February 2, 2018)
“Satoshi” refers to Satoshi Nakamoto, the mysterious pseudonymous author of a 2008 white paper entitled “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System”; see also Joshua Davis, “The Crypto-Currency” (The New Yorker, October 3, 2011)
“Bitcoin maxis”: Tonya M. Evan defines this term and others in the digital asset lexicon: “The Bitcoin, Not Crypto, Debate: Why Words Matter” (Forbes, August 21, 2024)
For more on El Salvador’s experience with bitcoin, see “Bitcoin: El Salvador makes cryptocurrency legal tender” (BBC, June 9, 2021), “World’s first Bitcoin nation scales back crypto dream” (BBC, December 18, 2024) and Robyn Wilson’s “The Salvadoran beach town that became a Bitcoin testbed” (BBC, July 1, 2025)
Nigeria’s central bank digital currency, the eNaira: www.firstbanknigeria.com/personal/ways-to-bank/e-naira/
Tether setting up physical HQ in El Salvador: Federico Maccioni, “Crypto firm Tether and its founders finalizing move to El Salvador” (Reuters, January 13, 2025)
For comparison of transaction costs by analyst Eric Yeung, see his April 20, 2025 X post: “The Final Showdown Between China and the U.S.: The Battlefield Shifts from Military Hegemony to Global Currency Warfare.” Yeung is a Hong Kong–based precious metals and investment expert who posts daily analysis on X.
The GENIUS Act (in full: Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act) became public law in July 2025 to provide for the regulation of payment stablecoins in the United States: www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1582/text
“MiCA and the European Union”: see Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation
Daniel Day-Lewis played Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood, a 2007 film based on Upton Sinclair’s 1927 novel Oil!
“The milkshake example”: a reference to Harvard Business School professor “Clay Christensen’s milkshake marketing,” which considers why we “hire” a product
Further Reading: 
Ali Abou Daya’s bio: www.linkedin.com/in/aliaboudaya/
About Transactix Financial: www.transactix.ca/about
Morva Rohani’s bio: www.linkedin.com/in/morvarohani/
About the Canadian Web3 Council: https://web3canada.ca/about/
For more analysis on the evolving role of digital assets, including central bank digital currencies, cryptocurrencies, stablecoins and tokenized assets, within the broader context of the global financial system, see CIGI’s project Digital Assets in a Deglobalized World
Credits:
Policy Prompt is produced by Vass Bednar and Paul Samson. Our supervising producer is Tim Lewis, with technical production by Henry Daemen and Luke McKee. Show notes are prepared by Lynn Schellenberg, social media engagement by Isabel Neufeld, brand design and episode artwork by Abhilasha Dewan and Sami Chouhdary, with creative direction from Som Tsoi. 
Original music by Joshua Snethlage. 
Sound mix and mastering by François Goudreault. 
Be sure to follow us on social media. 
X: @_policyprompt
IG: @cigionline
Listen to new episodes of Policy Prompt on all major podcast platforms. Questions, comments or suggestions? Reach out to CIGI’s Policy Prompt team at [email protected].