By contributing to darknet CSAM forums, members put themselves at risk of identification and prosecution. Based on quantitative analyses of digital trace data, this article examines the possible social dynamics that may explain why members nevertheless engage in forum communication. Results suggest that both self-presentation and differential association contribute to persistent forum activity. 

Highlights

• Only a minority of darknet CSAM forum members participates in public forum communications.
• Even among active forum members, a minority of members generates the bulk of public communications.
• Forum members’ continued contributing is associated with self-presentation and prolonged exposure to the forum environment.
• Unexpectedly, peer feedback seems to mitigate continued participation.

On behalf of the ARICA project team, we cordially invite you to read this article:

The article was first published in Child Abuse & Neglect, Volume 153, July 2024, 106815.
Full title: Why do users continue to contribute to darknet Child Sexual Abuse Material forums? Examining social exchange, social capital, and social learning explanations using digital forensic artifacts [Link]
Authors: Arjan Blokland, Anton Daser, Meike de Boer, Colm Gannon, Frederic Gnielka, Salla Huikuri, Rebecca Reichel, Thomas Shäfer, Alexander F. Schmidt, Katarzyna Staciwa, Robert Lehmann.

Under a Creative Commons license CC BY 4.0.