Illicit COVID-19 products online: A mixed-method approach for identifying and preventing online health risks.

ABSTRACT:

Aims

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a demand for vaccines, cures, and the need of related documentation for travel, work and other purposes. Our project aimed to identify the illicit availability of such products across the Dark Web Markets (DWMs).

Methods

A retrospective search for COVID-19 related products was carried out across 118 DWMs since the start of the pandemic (March 2020-October 2021). Data on vendors as well as advertised goods such as asking price, marketplace, listed date were collected and further validated through additional searches on the open web to verify the information relating to specific marketplaces. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used for data analysis.

Results

Forty-two listings of unlicenced COVID-19 cures and vaccination

SUBMITTER: Catalani V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10275425 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature