Linguistic mechanisms of knowledge-exchange in a dark-web money laundering forum

TL;DR

This paper explores how people in a dark-web forum exchange knowledge about money laundering through language and community practices.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel analysis of linguistic mechanisms in a dark-web money laundering forum using corpus-assisted discourse analysis.

Findings

The forum is an efficient site for criminal knowledge exchange and upskilling.

Knowledge exchange is facilitated by strict rules, a knowledgeable user base, and a friendly, reciprocal culture.

Abstract

Money laundering facilitates serious crime, enables the expansion of criminal operations, and destabilises economies. Extant scholarship is largely concerned with anti-money laundering approaches, with far less attention being paid to the language and behaviours of the individuals who engage in money laundering. ‘Dark-web’ discussion fora are prime loci for illicit knowledge exchange and key enablers of money laundering, yet, are underexplored as sites for understanding the online activities and behaviours of users. This paper reports on a corpus-assisted discourse analysis of one such forum, guided by research questions around the key topics and common linguistic strategies by which knowledge is exchanged within a large community of individuals interested in money laundering, and the ways in which this community serves its members. The analysis identifies the forum as an extremely efficient and productive site for knowledge-exchange and thus ‘criminal upskilling’, which is attributed to three core characteristics: a strict adherence to community rules, a highly knowledgeable user base, and a culture of friendliness and reciprocity.

Figures