Organizer: International Communication Association, University of Warsaw. Conference: 2024 International Communication Association (ICA) regional conference Human Tech Transition: Crises in Mediatized Politics, Society & Economy, Warsaw, March 13-15, 2024. Paper: Comparing Drug Trade on Tor in Finnish, Polish, and English Speaking Cultures.

1. Comparing Drug Trade on Tor in Finnish,
Polish, and English Speaking Cultures
Mikko Aaltonen, Angus Bancroft, Ari Haasio, Tuomas Harviainen,
Juha Nurmi, Haitao Shi, Piotr Siuda, Leszek Świeca
2024 International Communication Association (ICA)
regional conference Human Tech Transition
March 2024, Warsaw

2. WHO ARE WE?
Kazimierz Wielki University
University of Eastern Finland
The University of Edinburgh
Seinäjoki University
Tampere University
This project has received funding from:
Polish National Science Centre (OPUS 22);
project number 2021/43/B/HS6/00710
(2022-2025; PLN 956 620).
1.
The European Research Council (ERC) under
the European Union’s Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under
project number 952622 (SPIRS).
2.
Kadulta labraan project (2022-2024,
Kone Foundation).
3.

3. Cryptomarkets and image boards
Intro to
Dark Web
Drug Trading

4. RESEARCH FOCUS
To investigate local variations
in drug trading practices, and
reveal the rich variety within
drug-related discussions, and
cultural nuance.
Contributes to a deeper
understanding of the drug
trade’s cultural complexities
and how national cultures
influence drug trading.
Study Objective Filling the Gap

5. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
How do Polish, Finnish, and
English markets compare
using these metrics?
What metrics are appropriate
for measuring local variations
in drug trade and culture on
the dark web?
What are the distinctions
between these cultures, and
what are the implications for
further research?
RQ2: Market
Comparisons
RQ1: Measuring
Variations
RQ3: Cultural
Distinctions

6. Methodology
Overview
Utilized web scraping techniques to collect
data on drug listings, forum discussions, and
user interactions over a period of six months.
Quantitative methods to assess the volume
and variety of drugs listed. Qualitative analysis
to understand cultural nuances.
Ensured anonymity and privacy of users by
obfuscating identifiable information.
Data Collection Approach
Analysis Framework
Ethical Considerations

7. Fin
nish (Tsatti)

8. Brit
ish (Nemesis)

9. Po
lish (Cebulka)

10. TSATTI CEBULKA
RQ1 & RQ2
NEMESIS

11. Tsatti: traditional methods for
building trust. Cebulka and
Nemesis: emphasizing anonymity.
Tsatti: harm reduction.
Cebulka: security.
Nemesis: service-oriented.
Payment Methods
and Trust
Mechanisms
Community
Engagement and
Support
RQ1 & RQ2

12. What are the distinctions between these
cultures, and what are the implications for
further research?
RESEARCH
QUESTION 3
THE DIFFERENCES

13. Tsatti
Contains some drug culture discussions in
addition to trading, although to a much
smaller degree (the discussions are drug
focused).
Marketing (product information).
1.
Security (native Finnish ethnicity; the
vendor-buyer relationship; precautions to
prevent robbery attempts and scams).
2.
Location (Tsatti is majorly about f2f
deals).
3.

14. Nemesis

15. Cebulka’s two-folded nature
(between transactions and
community)
“I know all of you except
[ANONYMIZED], you Cebulka
Guys. I remember some of the
comments and the summary
of last year’s transactions that
you ordered to @[USING
EMAIL]. I even have it in my
notebook”
Cebulka

16. IMPLICATIONS
Understanding online drug trading:
Developing a more nuanced view and
challenging the notion of a monolithic dark web
drug culture, and highlighting the diversity of
practices and norms.
Encouraging further research into the socio-
cultural aspects of dark web drug markets.
Implications for law enforcement and policy:
The findings suggest that effective policy and
law enforcement strategies must consider the
specific cultural and operational contexts of
different dark web markets. One-size-fits-all
approaches may not be effective in addressing
the complexities of trading.

17. Thanks for
Listening
This project has received funding from:
Polish National Science Centre (OPUS 22);
project number 2021/43/B/HS6/00710
(2022-2025; PLN 956 620).
1.
The European Research Council (ERC)
under the European Union’s Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under
project number 952622 (SPIRS).
2.
Kadulta labraan project (2022-2024, Kone
Foundation).
3.
piotr.siuda@ukw.edu.pl
ResearchGate; Academia.edu
piotrsiuda.com
jiituomas.com
drugsproject.pl
Some of the images used on these slide were
DALL-E generated with a proper prompts.