Follow the Silk Road: how Internet affordances influence and transform crime and law enforcement
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Authors
Jerde, Ryan D.
Subjects
affordance theory
media dependency theory
stigmergy
Silk Road
Operation Onymous
AlphaBay
Hansa
Operation Hyperion
BTC-e
hybrid crime
Internet technology
border
public/private partnership
narcotrafficking
drug trafficking
human trafficking
child exploitation
darknet marketplace
Tor
Bitcoin
cryptocurrency
smart enforcement
DARPA
Homeland Security Investigations
Federal Bureau of Investigation
media dependency theory
stigmergy
Silk Road
Operation Onymous
AlphaBay
Hansa
Operation Hyperion
BTC-e
hybrid crime
Internet technology
border
public/private partnership
narcotrafficking
drug trafficking
human trafficking
child exploitation
darknet marketplace
Tor
Bitcoin
cryptocurrency
smart enforcement
DARPA
Homeland Security Investigations
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Advisors
Nieto-Gomez, Rodrigo
Wollman, Lauren
Date of Issue
2017-12
Date
Dec-17
Publisher
Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
A new category of crime has emerged in the border environment that is disrupting criminal typology. This new hybrid category intermixes physical and digital elements in ways not possible in the past. Internet technologies are facilitating this criminal evolution by affording perpetrators anonymity, efficiency, and distance. New criminal uses of the Internet have resulted in investigative challenges for law enforcement, especially concerning the illegal movement of people and goods. This thesis mapped the evolution of hybrid crime using cases from the Silk Road and Silk Road 2.0, viewed through the lenses of stigmergy and affordance theory. While the research identifies challenges for law enforcement, it also uncovers methods for countering hybrid crime. I found that while criminals are opportunistic in perceiving new affordances to commit crime, law enforcement can be equally capable of countering them by removing technological barriers. Law enforcement can break down these barriers by changing mindsets, implementing smart enforcement, and relying on expertise from public-private partnerships.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
National Security Affairs (NSA)
Organization
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funder
Format
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
Copyright is reserved by the copyright owner.