Goethe-University Frankfurt, Centre for Drug Research, Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 6, 60323 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Int J Drug Policy. 2019 Nov;73:281-287. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2019.04.011. Epub 2019 May 1.
This article analyses the factors of trust, logistics, and conflict on darknet markets (DNMs) and forums that are dedicated to selling illicit drugs. The analysis is conducted by utilising Elias (1978) theoretical concept of 'figuration,' which refers to the communicative constellations that eventuate between actors.
A qualitative content analysis was applied to a sample collected from darknet forums related to darknet markets, independent forums with trade sections, and separate vendor shops. The main categories trust, logistics, and conflict are analysed, and certain subcategories are also explored, including operational security (opsec), vouching, and shilling. These terms are commonly used to describe the trading of drugs on the darknet.
Users of DNMs and forums discuss vendors, their products, and security-related features. Vouching and shilling are attempts to strengthen trust, logistics are used to secure the trade, while conflicts reflected in forum discussion threads often arise when logistics fail. Logistics may fail due to different reasons and actors involved in the associated figurations. The (anticipated) presence of actors in disguise is crucial for all of the main categories.
Notions of trust, logistics, and conflict express attempts to cope with or circumvent risks imposed on users of DNMs by other users (e.g., scamming) or law enforcement (e.g., the interception of packages). Due to the illicit nature of the trade, these notions have to be constantly negotiated through digital communication.
本文分析了暗网市场（DNM）和专门销售非法毒品的论坛中信任、物流和冲突的因素。分析采用了埃利亚斯（1978）的“构成”理论概念，即指在行动者之间产生的交际组合。
本研究采用了定性内容分析法，对从暗网论坛、独立的贸易板块论坛以及单独的商家店铺收集的样本进行分析。主要类别是信任、物流和冲突，同时还探讨了某些子类别，包括运营安全（opsec）、担保和捧场。这些术语通常用于描述暗网上的毒品交易。
DNM 和论坛的用户讨论供应商、他们的产品以及与安全相关的功能。担保和捧场是增强信任的尝试，物流用于确保交易安全，而在论坛讨论线程中反映出的冲突往往是在物流失败时产生的。物流可能因不同的原因和涉及的相关构成因素而失败。伪装的参与者的（预期）存在对所有主要类别都至关重要。
信任、物流和冲突的概念表达了对暗网用户面临的其他用户（例如诈骗）或执法机构（例如包裹拦截）施加的风险的应对或规避尝试。由于交易的非法性质，这些概念必须通过数字通信不断协商。
