Contextualizing Online Illicit Market Economies

Apr 2018

Research Brief

While the Internet has many benefits, its growth has contributed to the emergence of online illicit markets through the Open and Dark Web. It is possible to envision these markets as an economy of both material goods and an economy of knowledge, ideas, and information, which can be used to facilitate criminal behavior. This brief provides an overview of online markets operating on Open and Dark Web sites, focusing on how individuals can come to these markets to both buy and sell products, and engage in offending writ large.

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