RantCrush Top 5: April 11, 2017

American authorities have requested that a Russian national be detained in Spain, as he is accused of hacking that may be linked to last year’s election. Pyotr Levashov is allegedly part of a global computer network that sends hundreds of millions of spam emails every year. Many of these emails steal users’ information and can install malware on computers.

U.S. court documents described Levashov as “one of the world’s most notorious criminal spammers.” Reportedly, his wife told the media that he was being linked to election hacking because of a virus he created that helped Trump win. Though officials from the Justice Department denied those specific details yesterday, there’s a lot of speculation about why exactly the U.S. wants Levashov in custody.

Wife of arrested Russian hacker:‘The virus my husband allegedly created was related to Trump’s victory’ #trumprussia https://t.co/bdL19ixnYE pic.twitter.com/inoTFWLSBZ

— Scott Dworkin (@funder) April 10, 2017

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.