Examining the Use of Offshore Online Gambling Sites in the United States via Routine Activities Theory: A SEM Analysis

Despite the recent proliferation of legal online gambling in the Unites States, offshore gambling sites still remain prevalent, causing various problems in the U.S. Although numerous law violations occur in this domain, prior research has reported limited information about offshore gambling, mostly focusing on offshore gamblers' characteristics and motivations. Using routine activities theory, this study attempted to understand environmental and theoretical factors that affect the use of offshore sites by focusing on offshore gambling-generating contexts that involve offshore sites and online casino reviews. Major findings show that the online visibility of offshore sites may be a key predictor of the use of the sites by U.S. players. In addition, online casino reviews providing a blacklist of online gambling sites served as informal guardians, helping players avoid unreliable offshore gambling sites that pose a risk to their customers. Policy implications were suggested based on the findings and provided insights toward effective online gambling regulatory efforts.

Darkweb research: Past, present, and future trends and mapping to sustainable development goals

The Darkweb, part of the deep web, can be accessed only through specialized computer software and used for illegal activities such as cybercrime, drug trafficking, and exploitation. Technological advancements like Tor, bitcoin, and cryptocurrencies allow criminals to carry out these activities anonymously, leading to increased use of the Darkweb. At the same time, computers have become an integral part of our daily lives, shaping our behavior, and influencing how we interact with each other and the world. This work carries out the bibliometric study on the research conducted on Darkweb over the last decade. The findings illustrate that most research on Darkweb can be clustered into four areas based on keyword co-occurrence analysis: (i) network security, malware, and cyber-attacks, (ii) cybercrime, data privacy, and cryptography, (iii) machine learning, social media, and artificial intelligence, and (iv) drug trafficking, cryptomarket. National Science Foundation from the United States is the top funder. Darkweb activities interfere with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) laid forth by the United Nations to promote peace and sustainability for current and future generations. SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions) has the highest number of publications and citations but has an inverse relationship with Darkweb, as the latter undermines the former. This study highlights the need for further research in bitcoin, blockchain, IoT, NLP, cryptocurrencies, phishing and cybercrime, botnets and malware, digital forensics, and electronic crime countermeasures about the Darkweb. The study further elucidates the multi-dimensional nature of the Darkweb, emphasizing the intricate relationship between technology, psychology, and geopolitics. This comprehensive understanding serves as a cornerstone for evolving effective countermeasures and calls for an interdisciplinary research approach. The study also delves into the psychological motivations driving individuals towards illegal activities on the Darkweb, highlighting the urgency for targeted interventions to promote pro-social online behavior.

The development of phishing during the COVID-19 pandemic: An analysis of over 1100 targeted domains

To design preventive policy measures for email phishing, it is helpful to be aware of the phishing schemes and trends that are currently applied. How phishing schemes and patterns emerge and adapt is an ongoing field of study. Existing phishing works already reveal a rich set of phishing schemes, patterns, and trends that provide insight into the mechanisms used. However, there seems to be limited knowledge about how email phishing is affected in periods of social disturbance, such as COVID-19 in which phishing numbers have quadrupled. Therefore, we investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic influences the phishing emails sent during the first year of the pandemic. The email content (header data and html body, excl. attachments) is evaluated to assess how the pandemic influences the topics of phishing emails over time (peaks and trends), whether email campaigns correlate with momentous events and trends of the COVID-19 pandemic, and what hidden content revealed. This is studied through an in-depth analysis of the body of 500.000 phishing emails addressed to Dutch registered top-level domains collected during the start of the pandemic. The study reveals that most COVID-19 related phishing emails follow known patterns indicating that perpetrators are more likely to adapt than to reinvent their schemes.

The distribution of fake Australian vaccine digital certificates on an alt-tech platform

This paper provides the first exploration of the online distribution of fake Australian COVID-19 vaccine certificates. Drawing on a collection of 2589 posts between five distributors and their community members on the alt-tech platform Gab, this study gathers key insights into the mechanics of illicit vaccine certificate distribution. The qualitative findings in this research demonstrate the various motivations and binding ideologies that underpinned this illicit distribution (e.g. anti-vaccine and anti-surveillance motivations); the unique cybercultural aspects of this online illicit network (e.g. 'crowdsourcing' the creation of fake vaccine passes); and how the online community was used to share information on the risks of engaging in this illicit service, setting the appropriate contexts of using fake vaccine passes, and the evasion of guardians in offline settings. Implications for future research in cybercrime, illicit networks, and organised crime in digital spaces are discussed.

Awareness of electronic crimes related to E-learning among students at the University of Jordan

The spread of e-learning as an alternative to traditional or face-to-face education has faced many problems and challenges in general and ethical and legal challenges in particular. This study aims to measure students’ awareness of the safe use of technology and its tools in e-learning that is consistent with ethical and legal standards. The study attempts to reveal the degree of awareness of students of the University of Jordan about electronic crimes related to e-learning and the legal procedures and penalties related to electronic crimes in e-learning. Quantitative research methods were used. A questionnaire was established and distributed to students enrolled in the following online courses: Ethics and Human Values, Communication Skills, and National Culture. Analysis of the data revealed that students had a high awareness about cybercrime due to the widespread use of the internet by students as it became an integral part of their daily lives. The degree of awareness of student about legal procedures and penalties related to electronic crimes in e-learning was medium. This indicates students' lack of awareness of the effectiveness of procedures and penalties for electronic crimes that can be applied in e-learning due to the rapid transition in the learning process at the University of Jordan from traditional learning to distance e-learning that was imposed during the Corona pandemic. Based on these findings, the study presented a set of recommendations that could be implemented to increase awareness and maximize the benefit of using e-learning.

Fighting the Fake: A Forensic Linguistic Analysis to Fake News Detection

Fake news has been the focus of debate, especially since the election of Donald Trump (2016), and remains a topic of concern in democratic countries worldwide, given (a) their threat to democratic systems and (b) the difficulty in detecting them. Despite the deployment of sophisticated computational systems to identify fake news, as well as the streamlining of fact-checking methods, appropriate fake news detection mechanisms have not yet been found. In fact, technological approaches are likely to be inefficient, given that fake news are based mostly on partisanship and identity politics, and not necessarily on outright deception. However, as disinformation is inherently expressed linguistically, this is a privileged room for forensic linguistic analysis. This article builds upon a forensic linguistic analysis of fake news pieces published in English and in Portuguese, which were collected since 2019 from acknowledged fake news outlets. The preliminary empirical analysis reveals that fake news pieces employ particular linguistic features, e.g. at the levels of typography, orthography and spelling, and morphosyntax. The systematic identification of these features, which will allow mapping linguistic resources and patterns used in those contexts, contributes to scholarship, not only by enabling a streamlined development of computational detection systems, but more importantly by permitting the forensic linguistics expert to assist criminal investigations and give evidence in court.

Alerting consciences to reduce cybercrime: a quasi-experimental design using warning banners

Objective

Aiming to reduce distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks by alerting the consciences of Internet users, this paper evaluates the effectiveness of four warning banners displayed as online ads (deterrent-control, social, informative, and reorienting) and the contents of their two linked landing pages.

Methods

We implement a 4 × 2 quasi-experimental design on a self-selected sample of Internet users to measure the engagement generated by the ads and the pages. Engagement is measured on the ads as the ratio of clicks to impressions and on the pages as percentage of page scrolled, average session duration, video interaction rate, and URLs click rate.

Results

Social ads generate significantly more engagement than the rest with low to medium effect sizes. Data reveal no differences in engagement between both landing page designs.

Conclusions

Social messages may be a better alternative for engaging with potential cyber offenders than the traditional deterrent messages.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11292-022-09504-2.

"They just say how stupid I was for being conned". Cyberscams and acquired brain injury: A qualitative exploration of the lived experience of survivors and close others

Individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI) may be vulnerable to cyberscams due to their cognitive and psychosocial impairments. However, the lived experiences of cyberscam survivors with ABI and their close others is not understood, and no effective intervention has been identified. This qualitative study aimed to explore the perspectives of cyberscam survivors with ABI (n = 7) and their close others (n = 6). Semi-structured interviews explored the scam experience, impacts, vulnerabilities and interventions. Reflexive thematic analysis of interview transcripts identified seven themes: "who is at the helm?: vulnerabilities," "the lure: scammer tactics," "scammers aboard: scam experience," "the discovery," "sinking in: impacts," "responding to the mayday: responses from others," and "lifesavers: suggestions for intervention." The journey towards scam victimisation was complex, and complicated by the ABI. Cyberscams contributed to substantial financial disadvantage, loss of trust and shame. ABI related impairments and social isolation reportedly increased scam vulnerability and interfered with intervention attempts by family and professionals. Confusion, denial and disbelief created further barriers to discovery. The practical and emotional impacts on both cyberscam survivors with ABI and their family members, and a lack of effective intervention, highlight the need for increased education and awareness in order to improve online safety for those with ABI.

Cybercrime Victimization and Problematic Social Media Use: Findings from a Nationally Representative Panel Study

According to criminological research, online environments create new possibilities for criminal activity and deviant behavior. Problematic social media use (PSMU) is a habitual pattern of excessive use of social media platforms. Past research has suggested that PSMU predicts risky online behavior and negative life outcomes, but the relationship between PSMU and cybercrime victimization is not properly understood. In this study, we use the framework of routine activity theory (RAT) and lifestyle-exposure theory (LET) to examine the relationship between PSMU and cybercrime victimization. We analyze how PSMU is linked to cybercrime victimization experiences. We explore how PSMU predicts cybercrime victimization, especially under those risky circumstances that generally increase the probability of victimization. Our data come from nationally representative surveys, collected in Finland in 2017 and 2019. The results of the between-subjects tests show that problematic PSMU correlates relatively strongly with cybercrime victimization. Within-subjects analysis shows that increased PSMU increases the risk of victimization. Overall, the findings indicate that, along with various confounding factors, PSMU has a notable cumulative effect on victimization. The article concludes with a short summary and discussion of the possible avenues for future research on PSMU and cybercrime victimization.

Who Needs the Dark Web? Exploring the Trade in Critically Endangered Plants on eBay

Stemming the illegal trade of endangered species is a critical and very difficult challenge for conservationists and law enforcement. Much effort is given to stopping the trade of "charismatic megafauna" such as tigers, elephants, and rhinoceroses. Endangered plant species, however, receive far less attention and fewer resources, resulting in devastating consequences. Plant species continue to go extinct due to illegal harvesting and selling, while just one order of plants, Orchidales, makes up more than 70% of all threatened wildlife species. This study examines the role the Internet plays in critically endangered plant transactions. Rather than focusing on the dark web for these sales, I search the e-commerce site eBay to better understand the extent to which these trades take place in plain sight. Of the 193 critically endangered plant species examined, 56 were for sale in some form on eBay during the study period. These results indicate a high degree of trading in these species, but do not necessarily indicate criminality. The complexity of the international legal frameworks regulating these transactions makes it difficult to ascertain their legality, but certain indicators point to at least a subset of these sales being unlawful. E-commerce sites like eBay must take more proactive measures to regulate sales and protect these species on the brink, for it is clear the surface web is playing an understudied and important role in fostering these cybercrimes. In sum, the dark web is unnecessary when the surface web is convenient, widely available, and scarcely policed.

A $10 million question and other cybersecurity-related ethical dilemmas amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Cybercrime and cybersecurity are like two sides of the same coin: They are opposites but cannot exist without each other. Their mutual relation generates a myriad of ethical issues, ranging from minor to vital. The rapid development of technology will surely involve even more ethical concerns, like the infamous example of a fitness tracking company allegedly paying $10 million worth of ransom. Every cybersecurity solution, tool, or practice has to be ethical by design if it is to protect people and their rights. To identify the ethical issues that cybersecurity/cybercrime might bring about in the future, we conducted the first broad and comprehensive horizon-scanning study since the COVID-19 pandemic arose. As we began this project, nobody had the slightest idea that the coming months would bring the COVID-19 pandemic, and that the reality we had known was about to change dramatically. As it soon became apparent, the deadly coronavirus brought completely new cybersecurity/cybercrime ethical dilemmas to light, and some of the ones known before were transformed or shifted. This article presents the results of our horizon-scanning study concerning the ethical dilemmas that emerged amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Revisiting the Relationship between Cybercrime, Autistic Traits, and Autism

Reports of cybercrime being committed by people on the autism spectrum often imply that autism may be more prevalent among cybercriminals than the general population, although this remains unproven. In an online survey of 302 participants, we found that autistic individuals (n = 25) were more likely to report engagement in cybercrime than non-autistic individuals, but this relationship was not mediated by advanced digital skills or deficits in theory of mind. Furthermore, independent of autism diagnosis, autistic traits were not significantly associated with self-reported cyber-criminality. We propose that there may be additional factors moderating the relationship between autism, autistic traits, and cybercrime, such as specific autistic characteristics, understanding of cybercrime, and willingness to disclose criminal activity.

Cybercrime Awareness among Saudi Nationals: Dataset

The supplementary dataset presented in this paper was used to measure the level of cybersecurity awareness of cybercrime in Saudi Arabia, presented in detail in [1]. The data were collected during the period of August to October of 2019. The dissemination process took place via an online questionnaire. The survey has four main parts: Personal and skill information (10 questions), Cybersecurity Activities (7 questions), Cybercrime Consciousness (8 questions), and Case Reports (6 questions). Two protocols were employed to recruit participants: subject must be of Saudi nationality and older than 18 years old. A combination of purposive and snowball techniques was utilized to collect respondents via university emails from 27 Saudi universities and WhatsApp messages to people meeting the requirements, gathering a total of 1230 responses. The data can be used to inform responsible authorities in Saudi Arabia about their roles in solving anticipated problems, as well as raising the awareness through programs, training, and short courses.

Global dataset for seized and non-intercepted illegal cheetah trade (Acinonyx jubatus) 2010-2019

Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) are a keystone predator of savanna systems in Africa, yet their populations have dramatically declined due to pressures such as human-wildlife conflict, loss of habitat, and most notably the illegal trade in live cheetah cubs as pets. We provide the most extensive dataset relevant to seized and non-intercepted illegal trade in live cheetahs and cheetah parts for the decade 2010-2019, spanning over 300 sources and 56 countries in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe, Oceania and North America. It includes 1,884 individual incidents involving at least 4,000 cheetahs or cheetah parts or products likely or confirmed to breach national laws or CITES regulations. While the covert nature of illegal trade of any kind makes it extremely difficult to capture its true volume, we believe that the information contained in this dataset demonstrates the need for a more in-depth look into illegal cheetah trade, including sustainability assessments with emphasis in regions where cheetah populations are small and widely exploited, such as the Horn of Africa, as this dataset suggests. Ultimately, such actions could lead to improved enforcement and legal frameworks, and provide a guide for CITES actions involving international cooperation and demand reduction efforts.

Measuring the level of cyber-security awareness for cybercrime in Saudi Arabia

The revolution in the Information Technology (IT) field has led to a significant increase in the number of people connected to and utilizing the Internet. However, it has also introduced severe security risks: valuable information such as passwords, financial accounts, and other confidential data are considered attractive targets for attackers. Cyber-attacks against this infrastructure can not only lead to data leakage but can also have significant financial implications and even lead to loss of life. Consequently, to defend against such attacks, and considering that humans have a key role in these technologies, it is important to increase cyber-security awareness. This paper focuses on measuring the current level of cyber-security awareness in Saudi Arabia, in terms of cyber-security practices, level of awareness, and incident reporting, by means of an online questionnaire with 1230 participants. The questionnaire results showed that 31.7% used public Wi-Fi to access the Internet, 51% used their personal information to create their passwords, 32.5% did not have any idea about phishing attacks, 21.7% had been victim of cybercrimes while only 29.2% of them reported the crime, which reflects their levels of awareness. The paper concludes by offering recommendations based on analysis of the results to promote the level of awareness.

Increasing Cybercrime Since the Pandemic: Concerns for Psychiatry

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Since the pandemic, the daily activities of many people occur at home. People connect to the Internet for work, school, shopping, entertainment, and doctor visits, including psychiatrists. Concurrently, cybercrime has surged worldwide. This narrative review examines the changing use of technology, societal impacts of the pandemic, how cybercrime is evolving, individual vulnerabilities to cybercrime, and special concerns for those with mental illness.

RECENT FINDINGS

Human factors are a central component of cybersecurity as individual behaviors, personality traits, online activities, and attitudes to technology impact vulnerability. Mental illness may increase vulnerability to cybercrime. The risks of cybercrime should be recognized as victims experience long-term psychological and financial consequences. Patients with mental illness may not be aware of the dangers of cybercrime, of risky online behaviors, or the measures to mitigate risk. Technology provides powerful tools for psychiatry but technology must be used with the appropriate safety measures. Psychiatrists should be aware of the potential aftermath of cybercrime on mental health, and the increased patient risk since the pandemic, including from online mental health services. As a first step to increase patient awareness of cybercrime, psychiatrists should provide a recommended list of trusted sources that educate consumers on cybersecurity.

Self-reported motivations for engaging or declining to engage in cyber-dependent offending and the role of autistic traits

Cyber-dependent offending, i.e. criminal behaviour reliant on computing and the online domain, has been reportedly associated with particular characteristics and motivations such as being young, male, autistic and motivated by challenge. These associations are anecdotal however and empirical evidence is limited. The present study investigated reasons for engaging or declining to commit cyber-dependent offending in cyber-skilled non-offenders (n = 175) and offenders (n = 7) via an online survey measuring cyber-dependent criminality. The potential role of autism and autistic traits was also considered. Qualitative interviews about motivations for offending were carried out with the offenders. The cyber-dependent offenders reported seven main reasons for engaging in cyber-dependent offending: (1) lack of understanding; (2) entertainment; (3) peer influence; (4) experience and career; (5) anonymity and risk perception; (6) life events; and (7) morals. Twenty-nine (approximately 17 %) of the non-offenders had been asked to engage in cyber-dependent offending but had declined. Their reasons and motivations for declining to commit cyber-dependent offences were compared with the cyber-dependent offenders reasons and motivations for engaging in cybercrime. Seven main reasons for declining to offend were identified: (1) moral principles; (2) perception of risk; (3) fear of consequences; (4) not wanting to; (5) wanting to adhere to the law; (6) behaviour being too complicated; and (7) price being too low. Implications for practise are discussed.

Cybercrime in America amid COVID-19: the Initial Results from a Natural Experiment

The COVID-19 pandemic has radically altered life, killing hundreds of thousands of people and leading many countries to issue "stay-at-home" orders to contain the virus's spread. Based on insights from routine activity theory (Cohen & Felson 1979), it is likely that COVID-19 will influence victimization rates as people alter their routines and spend more time at home and less time in public. Yet, the pandemic may affect victimization differently depending on the type of crime as street crimes appear to be decreasing while domestic crimes may be increasing. We consider a third type of crime: cybercrime. Treating the pandemic as a natural experiment, we investigate how the pandemic has affected rates of cybervictimization. We compare pre-pandemic rates of victimization with post-pandemic rates of victimization using datasets designed to track cybercrime. After considering how the pandemic may alter routines and affect cybervictimization, we find that the pandemic has not radically altered cyberroutines nor changed cybervictimization rates. However, a model using routine activity theory to predict cybervictimization offers clear support for the theory's efficacy both before and after the pandemic. We conclude by considering plausible explanations for our findings.

Criminals Work from Home during Pandemics Too: a Public Health Approach to Respond to Fraud and Crimes against those 50 and above

This paper uses the public health framework to address the apparent impact of the coronavirus on the victimization experiences with a specific focus given to those over the age of 50. The bulk of attention is given to fraud victimization, with consideration also given to parent abuse, partner violence, and patient abuse. A review of data from the Federal Trade Commission shows that reports of most types of fraud grew significantly in the first three months of 2020 in comparison to the same time period in 2019. Differences between fraud experiences based on age are considered. Older persons lost much more to fraud than younger persons, and far more in 2020 than 2019. In addition, they reported being targeted more often for certain types of cybercrime (i.e., tech support scams). While devastating to everyone, it is concluded that the coronavirus will potentially have a more significant impact on the financial health of older persons than younger persons. It is concluded that minimizing the consequences of all forms of crimes targeting older adults will be best achieved by using a public health approach.

A brief report on older people's experience of cybercrime victimization in Mumbai, India

As internet penetration increases in Lower and Middle Income Countries (LMIC), more older people are now conducting financial transactions online and using social media to stay in touch with family and friends. We discuss concerns that existing financial regulations and controls in India may afford older people insufficient protection from cybercrime, using qualitative interviews from our recent study exploring older people's experiences of cybercrime in Mumbai.

Crime displacement in digital drug markets

Background Crackdowns on urban sites with concentrated criminal activity are sometimes followed by geographical relocation of crime. Is this also the case in cyberspace, where illegal websites and online networks can be wiped clean, but also quickly rebuilt and replaced on new servers and URLs? Methods I address this question in three steps. First, I measure MDMA trade in a large digital market for drugs, before and after the arrest of a leading MDMA seller in the same market. Second, I count the number of available digital drug markets and vendor shops in the period February 2014-June 2018, to see if websites closed by police were replaced by new ones. Third, I track the digital movement and trading activities of individual drug sellers, before and after law enforcement shut down two large markets. Results After police arrested a leading MDMA seller, other MDMA sellers filled most - but not all - of the gap. A major law enforcement crackdown reduced the number of available markets, but new ones were created, and market counts eventually surpassed the previous peak. When law enforcement shut down two big markets, many of the sellers relocated to other e-commerce sites and continued high-earning operations there. Conclusion Arrests and market closures redirect digital drug trade to other sellers and markets. Hot spot policing in cyberspace might produce temporary results, but is arguably ineffective in the long run, as actors use information and communication technology's unique capacities to reorganize.

Did cybercrime cause the crime drop?

Recent studies have hypothesised that the international crime drop was the result of the rise in cybercrime. We subject this 'cybercrime hypothesis' to critical assessment. We find significant evidence and argument indicating that cybercrime could not have caused the crime drop, and so we reject the cybercrime hypothesis.

Did cybercrime cause the crime drop?

Recent studies have hypothesised that the international crime drop was the result of the rise in cybercrime. We subject this 'cybercrime hypothesis' to critical assessment. We find significant evidence and argument indicating that cybercrime could not have caused the crime drop, and so we reject the cybercrime hypothesis.

Cyber-Offending and Traditional Offending over the Life-Course: an Empirical Comparison

PURPOSE

This paper argues that cyber-dependent offending differs in important ways from other types of offending, which poses challenges to established life-course criminological explanations. Moreover, this study examines to what extent life circumstances in both private and professional life are differentially related to cyber-offending and traditional offending.

METHODS

This study analyzes longitudinal registration data of all adults who have been at least once suspected of a cybercrime (N = 870) and/or a traditional crime (N = 1,144,740) in the Netherlands during the period of 2000-2012. Using fixed effects panel models, within-person effects of household composition, employment, and enrollment in education on the likelihood of cyber-offending are compared with those for traditional offending.

RESULTS

Similar results are found with respect to individual's private lives. An individual is less likely to commit cybercrime as well as traditional crime in years in which that individual shares a household with a partner, whether with or without children, than in other years. For the professional life, several important differences are found. Employment and enrollment in education are not statistically significantly related to cyber-offending, whereas they reduce the likelihood of traditional offending. In fact, for these professional life circumstances, opposite effects are found in this population.

CONCLUSIONS

This first study to empirically compare cyber-offending and traditional offending over the life-course finds important similarities and differences. The results hint at the importance of possible cybercriminal opportunities provided by otherwise preventive professional life circumstances.

Automatically identifying the function and intent of posts in underground forums

The automatic classification of posts from hacking-related online forums is of potential value for the understanding of user behaviour in social networks relating to cybercrime. We designed annotation schema to label forum posts for three properties: post type, author intent, and addressee. The post type indicates whether the text is a question, a comment, and so on. The author's intent in writing the post could be positive, negative, moderating discussion, showing gratitude to another user, etc. The addressee of a post tends to be a general audience (e.g. other forum users) or individual users who have already contributed to a threaded discussion. We manually annotated a sample of posts and returned substantial agreement for post type and addressee, and fair agreement for author intent. We trained rule-based (logical) and machine learning (statistical) classification models to predict these labels automatically, and found that a hybrid logical-statistical model performs best for post type and author intent, whereas a purely statistical model is best for addressee. We discuss potential applications for this data, including the analysis of thread conversations in forum data and the identification of key actors within social networks.

Liking and hyperlinking: Community detection in online child sexual exploitation networks

The online sexual exploitation of children is facilitated by websites that form virtual communities, via hyperlinks, to distribute images, videos, and other material. However, how these communities form, are structured, and evolve over time is unknown. Collected using a custom-designed webcrawler, we begin from known child sexual exploitation (CE) seed websites and follow hyperlinks to connected, related, websites. Using a repeated measure design we analyze 10 networks of 300 + websites each - over 4.8 million unique webpages in total, over a period of 60 weeks. Community detection techniques reveal that CE-related networks were dominated by two large communities hosting varied material -not necessarily matching the seed website. Community stability, over 60 weeks, varied across networks. Reciprocity in hyperlinking between community members was substantially higher than within the full network, however, websites were not more likely to connect to homogeneous-content websites.