Dark Knowledge and Platform Governance: A Case of an Illicit E-Commerce Community in Reddit
Abstract
This study examines the dark information commons in Reddit, a pseudonymous social news site, in the context of illicit e-commerce communities. Unlike market forums that are hosted in the dark web, Reddit is open to users of both the clear and dark web, unwittingly serving as a gateway for potential newcomers to learn and prepare their entrance into darknet market systems. To illustrate how information commons in Reddit bolster the resilience of illicit e-commerce communication ecology, this study presents information and knowledge flows in a subreddit community dedicated to a now-defunct market called AlphaBay. This study expands the discussion of the challenges that Reddit, as information commons, encounters in governing the flow of dark knowledge.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Feb 03, 2021
- Source ID
- 10.1177/0002764221989770
Entities
People
- Chun Shao
- Kyounghee Hazel Kwon
Organizations
- Arizona State University
- Army Research Office