Preliminary Findings of the Trends and Patterns of Darknet-Related Criminals in the Last Decade
Approaching and using the darknet has become an inevitable trend in the last decade. The identities and locations of darknet accounts stay anonymous to make more curious with its users. It is also difficult to track with several layered encryption systems that create more opportunities to commit illicit goods and services in the cryptomarket. When the Silk Road has dominated the most dynamic and diverse forum among cryptomarkets since the 2010s. After its closure, many studies started focusing on the trend and patterns of darknet-related crimes. Among 1,150 publications on the Web of Science, this article collected 49 papers in criminology and penology to review and analyse. This first study combined a systematic literature review and biblometrix analysis in the field, which could not avoid limitations. However, it also contributes to some valuable expectations to identify the researched evolutions in darknet-related crimes in the last decade. The findings point out 1) leading articles identified based on the global and local citation score; 2) almost all leading authors with their most influential papers came from the Global South with predominant contributions from the U.S., the U.K, Australia, Canada, and European countries; 3) unbalancing publications between regional scholars and their institutions and countries (Western and Asian areas) although the darknet-related criminals occurred and operated without border; 4) after dismantling ten years ago, Silk Road with its first and later version has still been received many considerations to analyse the structure and modus operandi of cryptomarkets; and 5) some specialised themes in the cybercrime and darknet have identified to call further extensive research such as policing interventions in the darknet and flows of the cryptocurrency in crypto markets. Some implications are considered, and share its six relevant recommendations in future directions about darknet-related criminals
