Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Combat Illicit Activities on the Dark Web

Abstract

Criminal and terrorist organizations seek to benefit from the advantages of using the Dark Web, especially its confidential nature and difficulty tracking users, to achieve direct illegal activities without any oversight or legal accountability. Sites on this network, which offer forged and stolen documents, credit card data, and personal accounts, have transformed into a black market for illicit activities, serving as a hub for criminals, hackers, hired killers, counterfeiters, and human traffickers, among others. The chapter seeks to analyze how to integrate artificial intelligence and machine learning in combating dark web crimes, shed light on illegal criminal activities across the dark web, and discuss ways to combat them in light of the relevant technical and legal challenges. The chapter suggests increasing interest in emphasizing artificial intelligence as a forensics tool to prove crimes, concerted international efforts, and strengthening international security and judicial cooperation to effectively confront organized criminal activities via the dark network.