Status Spill-Over in Cryptomarket for Illegal Goods

IF 3 2区社会学 Q2 COMPUTER SCIENCE, INTERDISCIPLINARY APPLICATIONS

Social Science Computer Review Pub Date : 2024-09-21 DOI:10.1177/08944393241286339

Filippo Andrei, Giuseppe Alessandro Veltri

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Information technologies have transformed many aspects of social life, including how illegal goods are exchanged. Illegal online markets are now flourishing on various channels: the surface web (all websites accessible through a standard browser), the dark web (an encrypted internet network only accessible via anonymous browsers), and encrypted messaging applications installed on smartphones. These marketplaces take many forms, including simple web shops, chat rooms, forums, social media marketplaces, and platforms. This study focuses on the largest known darknet platform to date: AlphaBay. This cryptomarket operated from December 2014 until July 2017, when an international police operation shut it down. The dataset contains 6033 vendor profiles collected in January 2017. Using three generalized additive models (GAMs), we show that seller status positively affects sales, revenue, and sales through finalized early payment. Once sellers gain status on the platforms, they make more sales without a semi-institutionalized form of payment (e.g. escrow). On the other hand, buyers relying on status metrics as cognitive shortcuts tend to choose vendors even if they do not offer payment protection tools.

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非法商品加密市场的地位溢出效应

信息技术改变了社会生活的许多方面，包括非法商品的交易方式。目前，非法网上市场通过各种渠道蓬勃发展：明网（通过标准浏览器访问的所有网站）、暗网（只能通过匿名浏览器访问的加密互联网络）以及安装在智能手机上的加密信息应用程序。这些市场有多种形式，包括简单的网店、聊天室、论坛、社交媒体市场和平台。本研究的重点是迄今已知最大的暗网平台：AlphaBay。这个加密市场从 2014 年 12 月开始运营，直到 2017 年 7 月在一次国际警察行动中关闭。数据集包含 2017 年 1 月收集的 6033 份供应商资料。通过使用三个广义加法模型（GAM），我们发现卖家身份对销售额、收入和通过最终确定的提前付款的销售额有积极影响。一旦卖家在平台上获得了地位，他们就会在没有半机构化支付形式（如托管）的情况下完成更多销售。另一方面，买家依赖地位指标作为认知捷径，倾向于选择供应商，即使他们不提供付款保护工具。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Social Science Computer Review 社会科学-计算机：跨学科应用

CiteScore

9.00

自引率

4.90%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： Unique Scope Social Science Computer Review is an interdisciplinary journal covering social science instructional and research applications of computing, as well as societal impacts of informational technology. Topics included: artificial intelligence, business, computational social science theory, computer-assisted survey research, computer-based qualitative analysis, computer simulation, economic modeling, electronic modeling, electronic publishing, geographic information systems, instrumentation and research tools, public administration, social impacts of computing and telecommunications, software evaluation, world-wide web resources for social scientists. Interdisciplinary Nature Because the Uses and impacts of computing are interdisciplinary, so is Social Science Computer Review. The journal is of direct relevance to scholars and scientists in a wide variety of disciplines. In its pages you''ll find work in the following areas: sociology, anthropology, political science, economics, psychology, computer literacy, computer applications, and methodology.