Cryptomarkets : A Research Companion.
- 1st ed.
- 1 online resource (185 pages)
- Emerald Studies in Digital Crime, Technology and Social Harms Series .
- Emerald Studies in Digital Crime, Technology and Social Harms Series .
Intro -- FM -- Half Title -- Series Page -- EDITORIAL BOARD -- Title page -- Copyright Page -- CONTENTS -- LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES -- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS -- Introduction -- Chapter 1: A Modern-day History of Cryptomarkets -- 1.1. Overview -- 1.2. THE 'CALM', OR ANARCHY, BEFORE THE STORM -- 1.3. SILK ROAD MARKETPLACE - A PARADIGM CHANGE -- 1.3.1. An Illegal Platform Economy -- 1.3.2. Encryption and Anonymity -- 1.3.3. Introducing Governance: Dispute Resolution and Escrow -- 1.3.4. Politics, Community and Book Clubs -- 1.3.5. 'This Hidden Site Has Been Seized' -- 1.4. DOWNFALL OF A MONOPOLY -- 1.4.1. Hacks, Scams and Chaos -- 1.4.2. Fraudsters and Politics -- 1.4.3. First as Tragedy, then as Farce (with Minor Adjustments) -- 1.5. ONYMOUS AND ONWARDS -- 1.5.1. Centralisation -- 1.5.2. Localisation -- 1.5.3. Increasing and Novel External Action -- 1.6. Conclusion -- NOTES -- Chapter 2: The Current State of the Cryptomarket Trade -- 2.1. The State of Cryptomarkets -- 2.1.1. Overall Market Size and Growth -- 2.1.2. Cryptomarket Lifecycle -- 2.1.3. Geographical Distribution and Regional Clustering -- 2.1.4. Competition, Reputation and Sales -- 2.2. What Is, and Is Not, On Cryptomarkets? -- 2.2.1. Market Composition, Demand and Supply -- 2.2.2. Non-drug Products -- 2.2.3. Weapons -- 2.2.4. Prohibited Goods and Services -- 2.3. Impact on Conventional Drug Distribution Networks -- 2.4. Harm Reduction -- 2.5. Concluding Remarks -- NOTES -- Chapter 3: Cryptomarket Research Methods, Ethics and -- 3.1. Scope of the Chapter -- 3.2. The Cryptomarket Environment -- 3.3. Methods and Approaches Used to-Date -- 3.3.1. Qualitative Approaches -- 3.3.2. Survey Data -- 3.3.3. Digital Trace, from the Markets -- 3.3.4. Digital Trace, from Elsewhere -- 3.3.5. Test Buys -- 3.4. Methodological Limitations and Implications. 3.4.1. Current Limitations and Other Possible Methods -- 3.4.2. Importance of Interdisciplinary Work and Theory -- 3.4.3. The Ever-present Issue of Ethics (and Law Enforcement) -- 3.5. Methodological Summary -- NOTES -- Chapter 4: Charting the Unknown and Future Directions -- 4.1. Scope -- 4.2. Where to Now? -- 4.2.1. Continued Growth and Platform Stability -- 4.2.2. Increasing Localisation -- 4.2.3. A Natural Limit? -- 4.2.4. Crackdowns, Volatility and External Shocks -- 4.2.5. Increasing Intersection with Other Drug Markets -- 4.2.6. Increased Offending Due to Exposure to Other Illicit Goods and Services -- 4.2.7. Gentrification -- 4.2.8. Harm Reduction -- 4.2.9. A Summary of Predictions -- 4.3. Concluding Remarks -- Bibliography -- INDEX.
Since the launch of the infamous Silk Road the use of cryptomarkets - illicit markets for drugs on the dark web - has expanded rapidly around the world. Cryptomarkets: A Research Companionis a detailed guidebook which offers the tools necessary to begin researching cryptomarket phenomena and the dark web trade in illicit drugs.