Internet traces and the analysis of online illicit markets

Rossy, Quentin; Décary‐Hétu, David

doi:10.4324/9781315541945-21

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 33 publications

(51 reference statements)

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“…The Web is the main application used on a daily basis by millions of users, and thus the central location on which illicit trade has developed. The other applications such as those designed for messaging or peer-to-peer purposes are also used as a vector to promote illicit trafficking, even though they have not been extensively studied in that context so far (Kruithof et al, 2016;Rossy & Décary-Hétu, 2018). Most academic research regarding online illicit trade on the Web has focused on the trafficking of both illicit drugs and NPS (Barratt & Aldridge, 2016;EMCDDA, 2016EMCDDA, , 2017aKruithof et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring new psychoactive substances: Exploring the contribution of an online discussion forum

Rhumorbarbe

Morelato

Staehli

et al. 2019

International Journal of Drug Policy

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Background: The rapid emergence of new psychoactive substances (NPS) is a challenge for public health authorities and law enforcement. The phenomenon is strengthened since the increase of the Internet usage. Not only used to trade NPS, the Web is an important source of information for both potential drug consumers and experienced users. Discussion forums are among these sources of information. They are meeting points for different groups of users and include a wide range of trip reports, questions and consumption tips. Since the discussions are archived over a long period, they can be used to monitor the interest of consumers for particular substances over time. This research aims at understanding the contribution of data extracted from a major online discussion forum within a systematic monitoring process. Method: Data were collected from a discussion forum (i.e. Drugs-forum). Within the sections of the forum, the titles, content of discussion, number of replies, and the date of the first discussion were crawled and stored in a dedicated database. The intensity of the discussions related to 42 substances considered as NPS was measured through an indicator allowing to assess the popularity of substances. Furthermore, the appearance of 15 substances on the forum was compared to the date of formal notification to the EU early warning system. Results: An evolution of the different classes of substances, as well as an evolution of specific substances within a class were highlighted. Some substances were discussed for a long period of time (e.g. Kratom, 25i-NBOMe, MDPV) while others were discussed very briefly (e.g. 5-MeO-DPT, NM-2AI). Out of the fifteen substances subjected to a risk assessment from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), nine of them appeared on the forum before or at the same time as their first date of notification to the EU early warning system. Conclusion: In line with previous research on doping products, this article shows the potential of the monitoring of online forums in the context of psychoactive substances. Besides, the system designed to collect the data is flexible and can be systematically updated to fuel a monitoring process. It informs not only on the presence/absence of a substance in discussions between consumers, but also on its evolution over time. Such results could benefit academic research and organizations studying the NPS phenomenon. Precisely, it could complement existing early warning systems and benefit law enforcement agencies and policy makers.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring new psychoactive substances: Exploring the contribution of an online discussion forum

Rhumorbarbe

Morelato

Staehli

et al. 2019

International Journal of Drug Policy

Self Cite

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“…These online markets form a specific type of 'virtual convergence settings' where offenders (i.e. sellers and buyers) interact and leave traces (Rossy & Décary-Hétu, 2017;Soudijn & Zegers, 2012). They can take multiple forms such as publicly accessible websites (e.g.…”

Section: The Online Market For Fake Documentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysing the Digital Transformation of the Market for Fake Documents Using a Computational Linguistic Approach

2022

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“…DWMs are highly volatile and dynamic in nature: new products are added or removed to crime portfolio according to market demand, with criminal businesses becoming active in pursuit of newly emerging profit opportunities [5]. To ensure anonymity of both sellers and vendors and non-traceability of payments, transactions are made with cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoins or Monero, facilitated by automatic encryption via the usage of Pretty Good Privacy cryptography [6]. This very volatile nature was confirmed during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the disruption, spread of misinformation and confusion caused, were quickly capitalised upon by criminal groups looking to expand their business portfolio with the sale of counterfeit antiviral medications, COVID-19 vaccines, and other medical products [7][8][9][10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Illicit COVID-19 products online: A mixed-method approach for identifying and preventing online health risks

et al. 2023

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Aims The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a demand for vaccines, cures, and the need of related documentation for travel, work and other purposes. Our project aimed to identify the illicit availability of such products across the Dark Web Markets (DWMs). Methods A retrospective search for COVID-19 related products was carried out across 118 DWMs since the start of the pandemic (March 2020-October 2021). Data on vendors as well as advertised goods such as asking price, marketplace, listed date were collected and further validated through additional searches on the open web to verify the information relating to specific marketplaces. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used for data analysis. Results Forty-two listings of unlicenced COVID-19 cures and vaccination certificates were identified across 8 marketplaces sold by 25 vendors with significant variation in prices. The listings were found to be geographically specific and followed the progression of the pandemic in terms of availability. Correlations between vendor portfolios of COVID-19 products and variety of goods of other illicit nature such as illegal weaponry, medication/drugs of abuse also emerged from our analysis. Conclusion This study is one of the first attempts to identify the availability of unlicenced COVID-19 products on DWMs. The easy accessibility to vaccines, fake test certificates and hypothetical/illegal cures poses serious health risks to (potential) buyers due to the uncontrolled nature of such products. It also exposes buyers to an unwanted contact with vendors selling a variety of other dangerous illicit goods. Further monitoring and regulatory responses should be implemented to protect the health and safety of citizens especially at times of global crisis.

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Internet traces and the analysis of online illicit markets

Cited by 7 publications

References 33 publications

Monitoring new psychoactive substances: Exploring the contribution of an online discussion forum

Monitoring new psychoactive substances: Exploring the contribution of an online discussion forum

Analysing the Digital Transformation of the Market for Fake Documents Using a Computational Linguistic Approach

Illicit COVID-19 products online: A mixed-method approach for identifying and preventing online health risks

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