The Antecedents and Consequences of Legitimate Corporate Participation in the DarkNet: A Preliminary Model

Abstract

The DarkNet is a purposefully hidden collection of disconnected web sites that are not indexed by conventional or mainstream search engines, are not accessible by conventional means, and requires specialised software, specific knowledge, and authorisation to gain access. While typically associated with illegality and criminality, there are an increasing number of legitimate organizations active on the DarkNet. While explored widely in Computer Science, Humanities and Social Science, Engineering and Medicine, there is a paucity of research in the business and IS disciplines. The objective of this paper is to introduce the DarkNet and DarkNet Commerce, summarise extant business and IS research, albeit limited, and outline a proposed model to explore a previously unexplored relationship in the business and IS literature, namely the antecedents and consequences of the participation of legitimate organisations on the DarkNet.