Dark Knowledge and Platform Governance: A Case of an Illicit E-Commerce Community in Reddit

Abstract

This study examines the dark information commons in Reddit, a pseudonymous social news site, in the context of illicit e-commerce communities. Unlike market forums that are hosted in the dark web, Reddit is open to users of both the clear and dark web, unwittingly serving as a gateway for potential newcomers to learn and prepare their entrance into darknet market systems. To illustrate how information commons in Reddit bolster the resilience of illicit e-commerce communication ecology, this study presents information and knowledge flows in a subreddit community dedicated to a now-defunct market called AlphaBay. This study expands the discussion of the challenges that Reddit, as information commons, encounters in governing the flow of dark knowledge.

The Use of Dark Web as a COVID-19 Information Source: A Three-Country Study

“…Our finding on the association between increased social media use and the Dark Web use for COVID-19 information source indicates that conspiracy theories and misinformation concerning the pandemic have the potential to spread from the Dark Web to regular social media via active online users, reaching a wider audience than on the Dark Web [95]. Additionally, some users on regular social media platforms provide information on accessing the Dark Web [30,93]. Since individual online users have a significant role in the dissemination and visibility of conspiracy-like content on social media platforms [12], it is important to acknowledge the overlap between the Dark Web and regular social media platforms in terms of (mis)information dissemination.…”

“…For example, users who utilize the Dark Web for drug purchasing also utilize mainstream social media platforms for such activities [30]. Additionally, some anonymity-driven and less regulated social media platforms in the surface web, such as Reddit, may act as a gateway to the Dark Web, for example, by providing information about how to access the Dark Web [93]. These kinds of "dark platforms" of the surface web, even though not located in the actual Dark Web, are also known to contain conspiracy theories concerning the COVID-19 pandemic [94].…”

“…First, our study is among the first that has focused on the Dark Web as a source of risky COVID-19 information, while prior studies have focused on mainstream social media platforms [4,12,14,37]. Even though the use of social media and the Dark Web is likely to overlap [30,93], it is important to acknowledge the unique characteristics of the Dark Web, such as its unregulated and highly anonymous nature, in relation to online information seeking and underlying motives [24]. Second, we have also contributed to discussions on (mis)information seeking online by exploring underlying socio-cultural, technological, and sociopsychological factors [14,78].…”

Emergence and structure of decentralised trade networks around dark web marketplaces

“…39 DWMs are also communication platforms, where users can meet and chat with other users either directly -using Whatsapp, phone, or email -or through specialised forums. These direct interactions may favour the emergence of decentralised trade networks that bypass the intermediary role of the marketplace, similar to what is currently happening on Facebook, Telegram, and Reddit, [16][17][18][19][20]23 where users post products, negotiate item prices, and then trade directly without an intermediary. We estimate that the trading volume of U2U pairs meeting on DWMs is increasing, reaching a peak in 2020 (during the COVID-19 pandemic).…”

“…On the one hand, some recent works have shown that a significant number of DWM users trade drugs and other illicit goods using social media platforms, such as Facebook, Telegram, and Reddit. [16][17][18][19][20] Moreover, several qualitative, interview-based studies have shown that DWM users form direct trading relationships with other users, starting user-to-user (U2U) pairs that bypass the intermediary role of DWMs. 21,22 Past research has also found that sellers on regulated online marketplaces and social medial platforms may decide to use intermediaries, such Facebook groups or Instagram, to find new customers, and may start direct U2U trading with potential buyers.…”