Weapons trade reveals a darker side to dark web
- Most firearms on the dark web weren't rifles of military-grade weapons, exotic or rare firearms, but "the kinds of weapons someone in the US could buy from stores or vendors with a license"
- The dark web does not produce new weapons; it merely acts as an enabler of trafficking, with weapons and ammunition having to be shipped and delivered in the ‘real world’
Even as terrorist organisations wreak havoc in the world, the Sri Lanka dastardly bombings being a case in point, an investigation into the dark web has revealed how firearms are anonymously bought and sold around the world.
Researchers from Michigan State University crept into the dark web—that part of the online world that cannot be seen easily because it is not indexed by search engines—to reveal that most of the firearms weren't rifles of military-grade weapons, exotic or rare firearms, but "the kinds of weapons someone in the US could buy from stores or vendors with a license", according to Thomas Holt, MSU professor of criminal justice and co-author of the paper.
64% of the products advertised were handguns, 17% were semi-automatic long guns and fully automatic long guns were 4%. The research, published in Deviant Behavior, revealed key insights on a trade that undercuts gun laws in the United States, as well as other countries around the world where regulations are tighter.
"We know so little about the distribution of firearms sold on the dark web that it's kind of a black hole, similar to illicit pharmaceuticals and narcotics: We know people buy them online, but we don't know to what extent," said Holt.
There are many reasons buyers could turn to the dark web to purchase a weapon, Holt explained in a press statement. One example would be a buyer who can't legally obtain a firearm; another explanation would be that the buyer lives in a country with stricter gun laws. Regardless, Holt said that because the dark web allows for total anonymity, it supports his theory that the dark web buyers are those who wouldn't be able to purchase a firearm legally.
Holt and partners dug into shops, or single-owner websites hosted on Tor—a dark web browser, using a scaping tool to track vendors anonymously selling firearms as well as to identity patterns of their operations. Common threads between the sellers included: vendors deliberately selling hand and long guns; the use of bitcoin for payment; sellers' shops requesting PO Boxes to ship the product; and how sellers delivered the guns.
While the dark web masks a user's identity, location and any traces of persona, Holt's findings reveal the need for further investigations, and potential growth and impact.
The dark web does not produce new weapons; it merely acts as an enabler of trafficking, with weapons and ammunition having to be shipped and delivered in the ‘real world’. Therefore, the researchers note, good traditional policing and investigative techniques will remain vital in responding to this threat.
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First Published:22 Apr 2019, 11:30 AM IST
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