“Investigating the Online Trade of Illicit Antiquities”, Layla Hashemi, Abi Waddell2022 (DNMs)⁠:

The rise of online antiquities marketplaces has democratized the trade of cultural artifacts making a large number of objects available for easy purchase at affordable prices.

This chapter addresses how the rise of online antiquities marketplaces has fundamentally transformed the trade of cultural artifacts and what this means for future investigations of this illicit market. By evaluating data collection methods from marketplace and social media data, the authors examine various technology and tools that can not only detect and disrupt antiquities trafficking but also promote the responsible acquisition of cultural property.

The chapter illustrates the importance of open-source intelligence (OSINT) in detecting, analysing and mapping illicit antiquities networks and explains the authors’ development of custom tailored software. The authors examine various technology and tools that can not only detect and disrupt antiquities trafficking but also promote the responsible collection of cultural property in the 21^st century.

…During June 2019, ~20 of the main dark net markets plus additional darknet fora were analyzed with the goal of finding illicit antiquities and other contraband for sale. Various sites’ listing categories were browsed and key word searches established. Without exception, the vast majority of goods for sale on these markets were drugs. In one forum a user advertised the sourcing of rhino horn, ivory and exotic pets. There was no evidence of illicit antiquities trade on the dark web.

There are a variety of possible reasons for the lack of evidence of ancient cuneiform and coin sales on the dark web. First, antiquities collecting is largely seen as a legal activity. Most such goods can be easily advertised and purchased on the open web with little risk to buyers or sellers. In contrast, darknet markets usually advertise explicitly illegal items such as weapons, narcotics and child pornography (Sullivan & Satter2019; Whitehouse2019). As previously mentioned, not all collectors have the necessary technical knowledge to access darknet markets. Buyers expect higher value items to be associated with a brick and mortar store and are reluctant to purchase these items online. The anonymity of darknet purchasing methods may not inspire buyer confidence. Finally, antiquities vendors want to reach the largest possible audience which is why they often use the open web rather than the dark web.