Tor: A Survival Analysis Testing Reliability

• In Event: The Application of Computer Technology to Crime and Criminal Justice

Abstract

The darkweb remains a contentious space where the criminogenic properties provided by increased anonymity allow users to engage in both legal and illicit behavior. Tor remains the most utilized darkweb and studies focused on the content of hidden services through cross sectional analysis have shown a significant proportion of criminal .onion domains. The transitivity of the network has been speculated but never before tested so while the content may exist it may not be reachable by the average user. The connectivity and reliability of a website acts as a form of network capital that has implications for how a user can utilize ties and access each website. A repeated measures design was used to determine the survival rates of 6,241 unique .onion domains collected every 8 days over the course of 3 months by a customized darkweb crawler. The survival rates were compared across legality, content, type and structure for each website. Websites with more network capital are hypothesized to have a lower chance of failure or spend less time offline. Websites that have lengthy service interruptions will be inaccessible to the average user creating substantial barriers for offending opportunities.

Authors

• Bryan Monk, Simon Fraser University

• Richard Frank, Simon Frasier University

• Garth Davies, Simon Fraser University

• Julianna Mitchell, Simon Fraser University