Digital drug trading ecologies in context: Technological, geographic, and linguistic variation across darknet platforms

Simple item record

Full item record

dc.contributor.authorSiuda, Piotr
dc.contributor.authorAaltonen, Mikko
dc.contributor.authorHaasio, Ari
dc.contributor.authorBancroft, Angus
dc.contributor.authorNurmi, Juha
dc.contributor.authorShi, Haitao
dc.contributor.authorHarviainen, J. Tuomas
dc.contributor.organizationFaculty of Cultural Studies, Kazimierz Wielki University, Bydgoszcz, Poland
dc.contributor.organizationLaw School, Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies, University of Eastern Finland, Finland
dc.contributor.organizationSeinäjoki University of Applied Sciences, Finland
dc.contributor.organizationSchool of Social and Political Science, The University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
dc.contributor.organizationFaculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences, Tampere University, Finland
dc.date.accessioned2025-09-15T07:53:11Z
dc.date.available2025-09-15T07:53:11Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.date.submitted2025-09-14T15:20:08Zen
dc.description.abstractBackground Previous research on darknet drug markets has primarily concentrated on large, English-language cryptomarkets, often overlooking regionally oriented platforms that operate in national languages. This study adopts a comparative, exploratory approach to examine how drug trade practices vary across linguistic, geographic, and technological contexts. We introduce the concept of “drug trading ecologies” to describe how platform features, communication norms, and localized settings together shape distinct trading environments. Methods Using a mixed-methods approach, we analyzed web-crawled data from three Tor-based platforms: Tsatti (Finnish-language chat), Cebulka (Polish-language forum), and Nemesis (English-language cryptomarket). Data were collected through customized web scraping and analyzed using statistical tools and qualitative content coding to examine platform-specific patterns. Our comparative approach highlights structural and localization-specific variations without attempting exhaustive conceptual definitions. Results Each platform displayed a distinct configuration shaped by its technical affordances and localization-specific user practices. Tsatti supported fast, hyperlocal, and highly anonymized exchanges with minimal user identity or community features. Cebulka enabled semi-public vendor-buyer interactions, trust-building through discourse, and diverse product bundling. Nemesis functioned as a transnational, professionalized cryptomarket with standardized listings, formalized trust mechanisms, and branding strategies. Conclusions Rather than attributing differences solely to local, transnational, or design factors in isolation, we argue that darknet drug trading ecologies emerge from the intersection of platform architecture, localization (geographic scope), and language. Our findings underscore the importance of considering these factors when conducting digital ethnography in illicit economies and providing concrete entry points for tailoring harm reduction interventions responsive to the diverse realities of online drug trading.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipThis research is supported by the Polish National Science Centre, Poland (Narodowe Centrum Nauki), grant: 2021/43/B/HS6/00710. This work was also supported by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe funding programme, as part of the project SafeHorizon (Grant Agreement 101168562). Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
dc.identifier.citationSiuda, P., Aaltonen, M., Haasio, A., Bancroft, A. Nurmi, J., Shi, H., Harviainen, J.T. (2025) Digital drug trading ecologies in context: Technological, geographic, and linguistic variation across darknet platforms. International Journal of Drug Policy 145: 104984. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104984
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104984
dc.identifier.issn0955-3959
dc.identifier.urihttps://open.icm.edu.pl/handle/123456789/26106
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.relation.ispartofseries145
dc.rightsUznanie autorstwa 4.0 Międzynarodoween
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.sourceInternational Journal of Drug Policy
dc.subjectdarknet marketsen_US
dc.subjectdrug trade ecologiesen_US
dc.subjectdigital platformsen_US
dc.subjectonline drug marketsen_US
dc.subjectcryptomarketsen_US
dc.subjectvirtual communitiesen_US
dc.subjectillicit economiesen_US
dc.titleDigital drug trading ecologies in context: Technological, geographic, and linguistic variation across darknet platformsen_US
dc.typearticle
dc.type.versionpublishedVersion
person.identifier.orcidSiuda, Piotr [0000-0002-1644-5915]
person.identifier.orcidAaltonen, Mikko [0000-0002-3686-2986]
person.identifier.orcidHaasio, Ari [0000-0003-3723-4890]
person.identifier.orcidBancroft, Angus [0000-0001-5795-628X]
person.identifier.orcidNurmi, Juha [0000-0003-3071-9027]
person.identifier.orcidShi, Haitao [0000-0001-5600-3890]
person.identifier.orcidHarviainen, J. Tuomas [0000-0002-6085-5663]
Files for this record
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Name: Siuda_et_al_Digital_drug_trading_ecologies_in_context.pdf
Size: 6.05 MB
Format: Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
License files
Name: license_rdf
Size: 1019 B
Format: RDF serialized in XML
Description:
Download
Belongs to collection
Artykuły / Articles