The darknet, bitcoins and the role of the internet in drug supply

Abstract

The internet plays host to many different drug supply interfaces, from social media to the darknet. It is the location for communities of drug users, and is also intertwined with surveillance systems. Digitally enabled drug supply creates new kinds of user-dealer relationships, such as where dealer and user do not need to ever meet or share the same social network. The human geography and labour ecology of drug supply can be reshaped and redistributed as a consequence. The chapter outlines digital dealing in two modes: first, the reworking of existing technology platforms such as mobile phones and social media apps, and second, the design and hosting of platforms specifically designed for drug distribution, such as darknet cryptomarkets. Various innovations are involved in the use of technology and in the development of hybrid roles where tech-savvy participants mediate the drug market for others. Innovation can create new harms and new opportunities for harm reduction. We are challenged to rethink existing understandings of risk and harm in this light.