Informal Governance on Cryptomarkets for Illicit Drugs

Abstract

A global phenomenon has emerged in recent years: that of anonymous drug marketplaces on the Internet that usually combines anonymising software and virtual currencies as a means of payment, concealing the identity and location of its users. These technological innovations on the Internet allow users to proceed with illicit drug transactions with almost completely anonymous identities and physical locations and thus minimise the risk of law enforcement intervention. On cryptomarkets, vendors offer a wide range of psychoactive substances and other goods or services for sale. In addition, the purchased drugs are delivered by traditional postal services without their knowledge. This chapter aims to analyse the development of practices of resistance in relation to antidrug policies, practices that unfold through anonymous drug marketplaces. To explore social practices of informal resistance, the chapter draws on a digital ethnographic study on cryptomarkets. It observes that users on cryptomarkets follow a self-proclaimed libertarian ideology to systematically bypass drug control policies. The chapter also reflects upon how both economically disadvantaged, socially excluded, marginalised, technically non-skilled users and drug addicts, as well as drug producers of the global South are systematically excluded from expressions of informal resistance to prohibition-based drug policies as they do not participate in cryptomarkets.