RAPID: Underground Markets for Critical Equipment during the COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19大流行扰乱了商业供应网络，导致个人防护设备和药品等关键物资的实际和预期短缺。这种情况为地下市场提供了机会，对公民的健康以及社会和财政福利构成危险。这些由Tor网站（“暗网”）提供便利的非法网络是出了名的难以追踪，是假冒产品（包括假冒药品）的主要来源。 这一快速反应研究项目将收集、存档和分析关于流行病专用物品地下市场交易的数据。 更好地了解这些网络在大流行期间的运作情况将有助于为有效的缓解对策提供信息。该奖项将支持从暗网市场、论坛和Telegram渠道收集针对疫情的广泛产品的纵向数据，包括个人防护设备、洗手液和消毒剂，以及向公众宣传的治疗COVID-19疾病的药物。 PI将收集和分析有关市场参与者（卖家），价格，数量，这些项目的需求的数据。 这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted commercial supply networks and resulted in actual and perceived shortages for critical supplies, including personal protective equipment and medicines. This situation has opened opportunities on underground markets that present dangers to the health and social and financial well-being of citizens. These illicit networks, facilitated by online Tor sites ("dark web"), are notoriously difficult to trace and are a major source of counterfeit products, including counterfeit pharmaceuticals. This Rapid Response Research (RAPID) project will collect, archive and analyze data on underground market traffic for pandemic-specific items. A better understanding of the operations of such networks during the pandemic will help inform an effective mitigation response. This award will support the collection of longitudinal data from darknet markets, forums, and Telegram channels on a broad range of products specific to the pandemic, including personal protective equipment, hand sanitizer and disinfectants, and medications advertised to the general public as treatments for COVID-19 disease. The PIs will collect and analyze data on market participants (sellers), price, volume, demand for these items. The project will improve our understanding of how illicit markets respond opportunistically to commercial supply shortages.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.