MIKE COOPER

Mon, 12 Mar 12 at 15:05   | No Comments Yet

Destination Moldova

 

Somalia of the Caucasus?             

 

Moldova is apparently selling itself as a new data piracy haven:

The new information free zone. This mostly unknown eastern european country offers incredible opportunities for tech entrepreneurs, hackers and freedom of information lovers around the world.

Republic of Moldova is a sovereign state and does not recognize US or other recent internet freedom bullies. No foreign body can have access to moldavian data centers short of a war.

Moldova is not only one of the poorest countries in Europe, it’s also home to Trans-Dniester, an ethnic-Russian-dominated enclave that attempted to secede in the early 90′s and “has existed in a state of lawless and corrupt limbo ever since.” Descriptions like “criminal haven” and “smuggler’s paradise” are common.

Money laundering and other illicit financial flows are a problem — or an opportunity, depending on your perspective:

Do you want to protect more of your assets from the taxman – legally? Moldova, where the tax for corporate profits is zero percent , offers great opportunities for business development …

So setting up as a data center for criminal hackers seems a logical next step.