Pub Date : 2023-05-03DOI: 10.1177/10439862231170972
J. Worrall, E. Cohn
As a means for measuring scholarly influence, citation analysis has several limitations and shortcomings. We first review the main sources of citation data (Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, and information collected directly from reference lists) and discuss the shortcomings of each source. Next, we review five significant limitations of citation analysis as a methodology (academic over popular interest, various motivations for citing, manipulation potential, failure to account for author ordering, and citations only appearing in “indexed” journals). The issues we touch on set the stage for the remainder of the articles in this special issue.
引文分析作为衡量学术影响力的一种手段，有几个局限性和不足。我们首先回顾了引文数据的主要来源（Web of Science、Scopus、Google Scholar和直接从参考文献列表中收集的信息），并讨论了每个来源的缺点。接下来，我们回顾了引用分析作为一种方法论的五个重要局限性（学术性超过大众兴趣、引用的各种动机、操纵潜力、未能解释作者排序以及引用仅出现在“索引”期刊中）。我们所涉及的问题为本期特刊的其余文章奠定了基础。
{"title":"Citation Data and Analysis: Limitations and Shortcomings","authors":"J. Worrall, E. Cohn","doi":"10.1177/10439862231170972","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10439862231170972","url":null,"abstract":"As a means for measuring scholarly influence, citation analysis has several limitations and shortcomings. We first review the main sources of citation data (Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, and information collected directly from reference lists) and discuss the shortcomings of each source. Next, we review five significant limitations of citation analysis as a methodology (academic over popular interest, various motivations for citing, manipulation potential, failure to account for author ordering, and citations only appearing in “indexed” journals). The issues we touch on set the stage for the remainder of the articles in this special issue.","PeriodicalId":47370,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49118671","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-05-01DOI: 10.1177/10439862231170966
A. Lavorgna, Pamela Ugwudike, F. Vianello
What scholarly impact is, and how it is evaluated, vary across different countries. In the United Kingdom, for instance, scholarly impact is mainly assessed through the Research Excellence Framework (REF) in the context of providing—among other things—accountability for public investment in research, demonstrating the public benefits of research, and informing the selective allocation of research funding. In the REF system, impact needs to show a demonstrable effect on change, or evidence of benefits outside academia, and is formally assessed through case studies. In Italy, there is a comparable system for evaluating research, known as Evaluation of Research Quality, but in this latter case, the focus is on the quality of selected research outputs as indicators of research performance. Impact is here considered with reference to the so-called third mission (which includes activities aimed at the valorization of research, and activities that have positive spillovers into society at large) and is evaluated separately. Our contribution aims at critically analyzing the commonalities and differences of these two systems when it comes to evaluating research in Criminology and Criminal Justice, considering some of the benefits and potential pitfalls of research evaluation in both regions, and discussing how these disciplines are framed and delimited differently in the two countries considered.
{"title":"Evaluating Research and Scholarly Impact in Criminology and Criminal Justice in the United Kingdom and Italy: A Comparative Perspective","authors":"A. Lavorgna, Pamela Ugwudike, F. Vianello","doi":"10.1177/10439862231170966","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10439862231170966","url":null,"abstract":"What scholarly impact is, and how it is evaluated, vary across different countries. In the United Kingdom, for instance, scholarly impact is mainly assessed through the Research Excellence Framework (REF) in the context of providing—among other things—accountability for public investment in research, demonstrating the public benefits of research, and informing the selective allocation of research funding. In the REF system, impact needs to show a demonstrable effect on change, or evidence of benefits outside academia, and is formally assessed through case studies. In Italy, there is a comparable system for evaluating research, known as Evaluation of Research Quality, but in this latter case, the focus is on the quality of selected research outputs as indicators of research performance. Impact is here considered with reference to the so-called third mission (which includes activities aimed at the valorization of research, and activities that have positive spillovers into society at large) and is evaluated separately. Our contribution aims at critically analyzing the commonalities and differences of these two systems when it comes to evaluating research in Criminology and Criminal Justice, considering some of the benefits and potential pitfalls of research evaluation in both regions, and discussing how these disciplines are framed and delimited differently in the two countries considered.","PeriodicalId":47370,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49342814","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-28DOI: 10.1177/10439862231170954
Danielle M. Fenimore, S. P. Roche, Wesley G. Jennings, Remy Heinen
Prior research has frequently employed various methods for investigating issues surrounding publication productivity and authorship, including examinations of the number of co-authors in peer-reviewed journal articles and the order of authorship. Relying on 5 years of data from publications from the “Big 5” journals in criminology and criminal justice (i.e., Criminology, Journal of Research in Crime & Delinquency, Journal of Quantitative Criminology, Crime & Delinquency, and Justice Quarterly), the current study extends this extant research by providing a social network analysis of publishing networks. Results are consistent with previous findings, suggesting that publishing networks are largely decentralized, although key networks and definitive leaders in these networks exist as well. In addition, several authors were identified that have significant leverage over the publishing networks. Study limitations and directions for future research are also discussed.
{"title":"A Social Network Analysis of Publishing Networks in the “Big 5” Journals in Criminology and Criminal Justice","authors":"Danielle M. Fenimore, S. P. Roche, Wesley G. Jennings, Remy Heinen","doi":"10.1177/10439862231170954","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10439862231170954","url":null,"abstract":"Prior research has frequently employed various methods for investigating issues surrounding publication productivity and authorship, including examinations of the number of co-authors in peer-reviewed journal articles and the order of authorship. Relying on 5 years of data from publications from the “Big 5” journals in criminology and criminal justice (i.e., Criminology, Journal of Research in Crime & Delinquency, Journal of Quantitative Criminology, Crime & Delinquency, and Justice Quarterly), the current study extends this extant research by providing a social network analysis of publishing networks. Results are consistent with previous findings, suggesting that publishing networks are largely decentralized, although key networks and definitive leaders in these networks exist as well. In addition, several authors were identified that have significant leverage over the publishing networks. Study limitations and directions for future research are also discussed.","PeriodicalId":47370,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47105344","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-28DOI: 10.1177/10439862231170949
J. Corey, W. Sanders
Citation counts have commonly been used to measure “influence” of criminal justice and criminology (CCJ) scholars and articles. However, citation counts do not reflect influence outside of academia and thus may not be the best way to determine the true impact of scholarly work. This study uses the Altmetrics Attention Score (AAS) to measure which CCJ articles are the most influential in CCJ. Results demonstrate how AAS affects the ranking of “top” articles relative to the typical citation count measures. Implications for future ranking studies are discussed.
{"title":"The Altmetrics Hot 100: What Are the Most Influential Articles in Criminology and Criminal Justice?","authors":"J. Corey, W. Sanders","doi":"10.1177/10439862231170949","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10439862231170949","url":null,"abstract":"Citation counts have commonly been used to measure “influence” of criminal justice and criminology (CCJ) scholars and articles. However, citation counts do not reflect influence outside of academia and thus may not be the best way to determine the true impact of scholarly work. This study uses the Altmetrics Attention Score (AAS) to measure which CCJ articles are the most influential in CCJ. Results demonstrate how AAS affects the ranking of “top” articles relative to the typical citation count measures. Implications for future ranking studies are discussed.","PeriodicalId":47370,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48426049","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-01DOI: 10.1177/10439862231157520
Kyung-shick Choi, C. S. Lee
The Dark Web serves as a key venue for peddling illegal goods and services, from stolen possessions and drugs to illicit activities. The concurrent increase in Tor network usage and the development of cryptocurrency has led to the creation of major black market sites. One of the most popular illicit services offered on the Dark Web is hacking, which includes website/social media account hacking, Denial-of-service attacks, and custom malware. At the same time, the Dark Web community has formed its own justice system leveraging the layer of anonymity that exists between underground community users and the cybercrime ecosystem. Existing studies predominantly focus on the major drug market operating on the Dark Web, firearm sales, sexual exploitation, and money laundering. To address the gaps in the current research as well as the relative nascency of an underground justice system to monitor hacking services on the Dark Web, this study attempts to broadly capture the dynamic nature of hacking services, which requires continuous research to identify new trends and develop effective responses. The study aims to examine the characteristics and the operations of the hacking service market and the underground justice system on the Dark Web via an in-depth examination of Dark Web forums with a crime script analysis vis-à-vis thematic analysis. The study defines the crime script as that which includes pretrial, mid-trial, finalization, and exit stages. This research sheds light on Dark Web justice courts’ procedures and the courts’ implications for shaping the future of the Dark Web.
{"title":"In the Name of Dark Web Justice: A Crime Script Analysis of Hacking Services and the Underground Justice System","authors":"Kyung-shick Choi, C. S. Lee","doi":"10.1177/10439862231157520","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10439862231157520","url":null,"abstract":"The Dark Web serves as a key venue for peddling illegal goods and services, from stolen possessions and drugs to illicit activities. The concurrent increase in Tor network usage and the development of cryptocurrency has led to the creation of major black market sites. One of the most popular illicit services offered on the Dark Web is hacking, which includes website/social media account hacking, Denial-of-service attacks, and custom malware. At the same time, the Dark Web community has formed its own justice system leveraging the layer of anonymity that exists between underground community users and the cybercrime ecosystem. Existing studies predominantly focus on the major drug market operating on the Dark Web, firearm sales, sexual exploitation, and money laundering. To address the gaps in the current research as well as the relative nascency of an underground justice system to monitor hacking services on the Dark Web, this study attempts to broadly capture the dynamic nature of hacking services, which requires continuous research to identify new trends and develop effective responses. The study aims to examine the characteristics and the operations of the hacking service market and the underground justice system on the Dark Web via an in-depth examination of Dark Web forums with a crime script analysis vis-à-vis thematic analysis. The study defines the crime script as that which includes pretrial, mid-trial, finalization, and exit stages. This research sheds light on Dark Web justice courts’ procedures and the courts’ implications for shaping the future of the Dark Web.","PeriodicalId":47370,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48040901","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-01DOI: 10.1177/10439862231157519
Jordan Brinck, Brooke Nodeland, Scott Belshaw
Law enforcement are tasked with confronting a variety of crimes on a daily basis, ranging from traditional offenses, such as burglary or assault, to online crimes, such as identity theft. The expansion of the internet has provided a new realm for investigatory consideration as buyers seek the tools of the crime as well as illegal products online. Since the inception of the Silk Road, the Dark Web’s first darknet marketplace, buyers and sellers have worked together to distribute and obtain products and services that were previously only available offline. For example, drugs, weapons, consumer data such as credit cards numbers, and other illicit products are all available for purchase on the Dark Web. Early on, Ross Ulbricht, founder of the original Silk Road Dark Web marketplace, incorporated consumer “reviews” on illegal websites to protect customers and to ensure that sellers were not taking advantage of potential buyers. The nature of illicit markets, where websites, vendors, or markets themselves can be online one day and gone the next, present challenges to developing a complete understanding as to how these networks operate. This study builds on existing research by providing an exploratory examination of the prevalence of consumer feedback and review indicators on approximately 50 Dark Web marketplaces. Findings indicate that more than half of explored sites displayed consumer reviews on their postings. Policies incorporating feedback indicators may be implemented to both identify and target for investigation and prosecution highly rated and high-profile sellers on Dark Web markets.
{"title":"The “Yelp-Ification” of the Dark Web: An Exploration of the Use of Consumer Feedback in Dark Web Markets","authors":"Jordan Brinck, Brooke Nodeland, Scott Belshaw","doi":"10.1177/10439862231157519","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10439862231157519","url":null,"abstract":"Law enforcement are tasked with confronting a variety of crimes on a daily basis, ranging from traditional offenses, such as burglary or assault, to online crimes, such as identity theft. The expansion of the internet has provided a new realm for investigatory consideration as buyers seek the tools of the crime as well as illegal products online. Since the inception of the Silk Road, the Dark Web’s first darknet marketplace, buyers and sellers have worked together to distribute and obtain products and services that were previously only available offline. For example, drugs, weapons, consumer data such as credit cards numbers, and other illicit products are all available for purchase on the Dark Web. Early on, Ross Ulbricht, founder of the original Silk Road Dark Web marketplace, incorporated consumer “reviews” on illegal websites to protect customers and to ensure that sellers were not taking advantage of potential buyers. The nature of illicit markets, where websites, vendors, or markets themselves can be online one day and gone the next, present challenges to developing a complete understanding as to how these networks operate. This study builds on existing research by providing an exploratory examination of the prevalence of consumer feedback and review indicators on approximately 50 Dark Web marketplaces. Findings indicate that more than half of explored sites displayed consumer reviews on their postings. Policies incorporating feedback indicators may be implemented to both identify and target for investigation and prosecution highly rated and high-profile sellers on Dark Web markets.","PeriodicalId":47370,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46493773","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-03-19DOI: 10.1177/10439862231159530
Marie-Helen Maras, Jana Arsovska, A. S. Wandt, Kenji Logie
Illicit darknet markets (DNMs) are highly uncertain and in a perpetual state of flux. These markets thrive in a zero-trust, high-risk environment. However, the trustworthiness of vendors plays a critical role in illicit transactions and the sustainability of the illegal trade of goods and services on DNMs. Focusing on the illicit fentanyl trade and applying signaling theory and embedded mixed methods design, we examined different ways that trustworthiness is signaled by vendors on darknet sites. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, in recent years, has been declared a public health emergency in the United States due to its high potency and unprecedented number of deaths associated with its use; however, the topic remains understudied and requires urgent attention. There are few studies that have focused on fentanyl trafficking on DNMs and no mixed method studies that have focused specifically on trust signals in DNM fentanyl networks. In our research, first, we conducted a focus group and in-depth interviews with criminal justice professionals to understand the inner workings of darknet sites, fentanyl networks, and how trust is assessed. Second, we scraped select darknet sites to collect and curate scraped data for later examination of vendor trustworthiness on DNMs. Third, using signaling theory to understand how vendors signal trustworthiness on select darknet sites selling drugs, including fentanyl, we applied both qualitative and quantitative content analysis of DNM features, and language used in vendor profiles, listings, and product/vendor reviews, to inform the development of a trustworthiness index. In this research, we used software, such as Atlas.ti and Python, to analyze our data. The main purpose of this article is to provide an in-depth description of the mixed methods approach we used to inform the development of a vendor trustworthiness index, which we used to examine trust between illicit fentanyl vendors and buyers. Our research can serve as a guide for the development of DNM vendor trustworthiness index for future research on other illegal markets.
{"title":"Keeping Pace With the Evolution of Illicit Darknet Fentanyl Markets: Using a Mixed Methods Approach to Identify Trust Signals and Develop a Vendor Trustworthiness Index","authors":"Marie-Helen Maras, Jana Arsovska, A. S. Wandt, Kenji Logie","doi":"10.1177/10439862231159530","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10439862231159530","url":null,"abstract":"Illicit darknet markets (DNMs) are highly uncertain and in a perpetual state of flux. These markets thrive in a zero-trust, high-risk environment. However, the trustworthiness of vendors plays a critical role in illicit transactions and the sustainability of the illegal trade of goods and services on DNMs. Focusing on the illicit fentanyl trade and applying signaling theory and embedded mixed methods design, we examined different ways that trustworthiness is signaled by vendors on darknet sites. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, in recent years, has been declared a public health emergency in the United States due to its high potency and unprecedented number of deaths associated with its use; however, the topic remains understudied and requires urgent attention. There are few studies that have focused on fentanyl trafficking on DNMs and no mixed method studies that have focused specifically on trust signals in DNM fentanyl networks. In our research, first, we conducted a focus group and in-depth interviews with criminal justice professionals to understand the inner workings of darknet sites, fentanyl networks, and how trust is assessed. Second, we scraped select darknet sites to collect and curate scraped data for later examination of vendor trustworthiness on DNMs. Third, using signaling theory to understand how vendors signal trustworthiness on select darknet sites selling drugs, including fentanyl, we applied both qualitative and quantitative content analysis of DNM features, and language used in vendor profiles, listings, and product/vendor reviews, to inform the development of a trustworthiness index. In this research, we used software, such as Atlas.ti and Python, to analyze our data. The main purpose of this article is to provide an in-depth description of the mixed methods approach we used to inform the development of a vendor trustworthiness index, which we used to examine trust between illicit fentanyl vendors and buyers. Our research can serve as a guide for the development of DNM vendor trustworthiness index for future research on other illegal markets.","PeriodicalId":47370,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48235405","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-03-19DOI: 10.1177/10439862231158005
C. J. Howell, Taylor Fisher, Caitlyn N. Muniz, David Maimon, Yolanda Rotzinger
Scant research has investigated the illicit online ecosystem that enables the sale of stolen data. Even fewer studies have examined the longitudinal trends of the markets on which these data are bought and sold. To fill this gap in the literature, our research team identified 30 darknet markets advertising stolen data products from September 1, 2020, through April 30, 2021. We then developed python web scrapers to systematically extract information pertaining to stolen data products on a weekly basis. Using these data, we calculated the number of vendors, listings, sales, and revenue across the markets and at the aggregate, ecosystem level. Moreover, we developed a data-driven market classification system drawing from ecological principles and dominant firm theory. Findings indicate that markets vary in size and success. Although some markets generated over $91 million in revenue from stolen data products, the median revenue across markets during the observational period was only $95,509. Variability also exists across markets in respect to the number of vendors, listings, and sales. Only three markets were classified as financially successful and stable (i.e., dominant firms). We argue resources should be allocated to target markets fitting these criteria.
{"title":"A Depiction and Classification of the Stolen Data Market Ecosystem and Comprising Darknet Markets: A Multidisciplinary Approach","authors":"C. J. Howell, Taylor Fisher, Caitlyn N. Muniz, David Maimon, Yolanda Rotzinger","doi":"10.1177/10439862231158005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10439862231158005","url":null,"abstract":"Scant research has investigated the illicit online ecosystem that enables the sale of stolen data. Even fewer studies have examined the longitudinal trends of the markets on which these data are bought and sold. To fill this gap in the literature, our research team identified 30 darknet markets advertising stolen data products from September 1, 2020, through April 30, 2021. We then developed python web scrapers to systematically extract information pertaining to stolen data products on a weekly basis. Using these data, we calculated the number of vendors, listings, sales, and revenue across the markets and at the aggregate, ecosystem level. Moreover, we developed a data-driven market classification system drawing from ecological principles and dominant firm theory. Findings indicate that markets vary in size and success. Although some markets generated over $91 million in revenue from stolen data products, the median revenue across markets during the observational period was only $95,509. Variability also exists across markets in respect to the number of vendors, listings, and sales. Only three markets were classified as financially successful and stable (i.e., dominant firms). We argue resources should be allocated to target markets fitting these criteria.","PeriodicalId":47370,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46017566","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-03-17DOI: 10.1177/10439862231159996
Akos Szigeti, R. Frank, Tibor Kiss
The rise in illicit drug trafficking on darknet markets (DNMs) was boosted by those restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to put this trend into context by exploring the characteristics of vendors’ services and reputations and understand how products are advertised and what customers tend to value. Qualitative content analysis was conducted on a sample (n = 100) randomly selected from 6,357 product descriptions and a sample (n = 500) randomly selected from 34,619 reviews. Both samples are from products found in the drug category of the darknet market Dark0de Reborn. On the supply side, vendors tended to provide basic information on the drugs, a mention of their high quality, the speed and stealth of delivery, their availability for responding to messages, the effects of the drugs, and sometimes even instructions for use. Regarding the demand side, customers usually praised the quality of the product, mentioned the speed and stealth-secure packaging of delivery as essentials, and expressed only a small number of issues. These results support the applicability of Norbert Elias’ social figuration theory in which the interdependencies of the actors are fueled by trust. This theoretical frame sheds light on the social value of the community of DNMs. Furthermore, the findings formulate a robust hypothesis for future research about the previously undervalued role of delivery providers.
{"title":"Trust Factors in the Social Figuration of Online Drug Trafficking: A Qualitative Content Analysis on a Darknet Market","authors":"Akos Szigeti, R. Frank, Tibor Kiss","doi":"10.1177/10439862231159996","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10439862231159996","url":null,"abstract":"The rise in illicit drug trafficking on darknet markets (DNMs) was boosted by those restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to put this trend into context by exploring the characteristics of vendors’ services and reputations and understand how products are advertised and what customers tend to value. Qualitative content analysis was conducted on a sample (n = 100) randomly selected from 6,357 product descriptions and a sample (n = 500) randomly selected from 34,619 reviews. Both samples are from products found in the drug category of the darknet market Dark0de Reborn. On the supply side, vendors tended to provide basic information on the drugs, a mention of their high quality, the speed and stealth of delivery, their availability for responding to messages, the effects of the drugs, and sometimes even instructions for use. Regarding the demand side, customers usually praised the quality of the product, mentioned the speed and stealth-secure packaging of delivery as essentials, and expressed only a small number of issues. These results support the applicability of Norbert Elias’ social figuration theory in which the interdependencies of the actors are fueled by trust. This theoretical frame sheds light on the social value of the community of DNMs. Furthermore, the findings formulate a robust hypothesis for future research about the previously undervalued role of delivery providers.","PeriodicalId":47370,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45642330","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-03-14DOI: 10.1177/10439862231157521
Thomas E. Dearden, Samantha E. Tucker
Transactions on the darknet are notoriously difficult to examine. Prior criminological research has generally used web scraping and qualitative text analysis to examine illegal darknet markets. One disadvantage of this process is that individuals can lie. Fortunately for researchers, the currency used for transactions on the darknet, cryptocurrency, is designed to be tracked. In this article, we examine transactions from a former darknet marketplace, AlphaBay. Using the blockchain, we examine the interconnectedness of both legal and illegal cryptocurrencies. In addition, we provide a structured approach to quantitatively examine the Bitcoin blockchain ledger, offering both the tools and our own experiences for other researchers interested in such approaches. While cybersecurity, information technology, accounting, and other disciplines can examine the financial data itself, we believe that criminologists can provide additional benefits in pattern analysis and organizing the context and theory around the transactions. Our results show that cryptocurrency transactions are generally identifiable (90%) and involve likely illegal transactions, transactions that attempt to obfuscate other transactions, and legal transactions. We end with a discussion of newer cryptocurrencies and related technology and how they will likely shape future work.
{"title":"Follow the Money: Analyzing Darknet Activity Using Cryptocurrency and the Bitcoin Blockchain","authors":"Thomas E. Dearden, Samantha E. Tucker","doi":"10.1177/10439862231157521","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10439862231157521","url":null,"abstract":"Transactions on the darknet are notoriously difficult to examine. Prior criminological research has generally used web scraping and qualitative text analysis to examine illegal darknet markets. One disadvantage of this process is that individuals can lie. Fortunately for researchers, the currency used for transactions on the darknet, cryptocurrency, is designed to be tracked. In this article, we examine transactions from a former darknet marketplace, AlphaBay. Using the blockchain, we examine the interconnectedness of both legal and illegal cryptocurrencies. In addition, we provide a structured approach to quantitatively examine the Bitcoin blockchain ledger, offering both the tools and our own experiences for other researchers interested in such approaches. While cybersecurity, information technology, accounting, and other disciplines can examine the financial data itself, we believe that criminologists can provide additional benefits in pattern analysis and organizing the context and theory around the transactions. Our results show that cryptocurrency transactions are generally identifiable (90%) and involve likely illegal transactions, transactions that attempt to obfuscate other transactions, and legal transactions. We end with a discussion of newer cryptocurrencies and related technology and how they will likely shape future work.","PeriodicalId":47370,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49131069","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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