Samenvatting

The anonymity and accessibility of the darknet have contributed to the growth of forums dedicated to the dissemination of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) into online communities with thousands of members. Though the anonymity of the darknet poses serious challenges for law enforcement, the digital traces left by the members of these forums also provide for a unique opportunity for the scientific study of their behavior. Darknet CSAM forums depend on the footage voluntarily contributed by their members. Using data from over a 1,000 members of a darknet CSAM forum that was taken offline by law enforcement in 2015, the present study tests hypotheses derived from social identity, social exchange, and differential association/social learning theory to explain why forum members continue to contribute. The authors find that communication on the forum is heavily skewed with a minority of members responsible for a disproportionate amount of forum activity. Further, they find that the length of the initial post and the time since the first registration are associated with an increased hazard of contributing another post. A larger number of reactions to the last contribution posted is associated with a decreased hazard of subsequent posting.