https://www.chds.us/ https://www.hsdl.org/ Homeland Security Digital Library Index Search PDF https://www.hsdl.org/?search=&searchfield=&collection=public&submitted=Search&all=cypherpunks https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=808271 FOLLOW THE SILK ROAD: HOW INTERNET AFFORDANCES INFLUENCE AND TRANSFORM CRIME AND LAW ENFORCEMENT Ryan D. Jerde Supervisory Special Agent, Homeland Security Investigations B.A., Minnesota State University Moorhead, 1992 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN SECURITY STUDIES (HOMELAND SECURITY AND DEFENSE) from the NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL December 2017 Cohort NCR1603/1604 ABSTRACT A new category of crime has emerged in the border environment that is disrupting criminal typology. This new "hybrid" category intermixes physical and digital elements in ways not possible in the past. Internet technologies are facilitating this criminal evolution by affording perpetrators anonymity, efficiency, and distance. New criminal uses of the Internet have resulted in investigative challenges for law enforcement, especially concerning the illegal movement of people and goods. This thesis mapped the evolution of hybrid crime using cases from the Silk Road and Silk Road 2.0, viewed through the lenses of stigmergy and affordance theory. While the research identifies challenges for law enforcement, it also uncovers methods for countering hybrid crime. I found that while criminals are opportunistic in perceiving new affordances to commit crime, law enforcement can be equally capable of countering them by removing technological barriers. Law enforcement can break down these barriers by changing mindsets, implementing smart enforcement, and relying on expertise from public-private partnerships. https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=811431 ENTERING THE MATRIX: THE CHALLENGE OF REGULATING RADICAL LEVELING TECHNOLOGIES Jennifer J. Snow Major, United States Air Force B.S., Salisbury University, 1996 B.S., University of Maryland Eastern Shore, 1996 B.A., Salisbury University, 2001 M.A., American Military University, 2008 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN DEFENSE ANALYSIS from the NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL December 2015 Defense Technical Information Center DTIC ABSTRACT Radical Leveling Technologies (RLT) constitute a new class of technologies that have exponential disruptive effects across a diverse set of societal processes resulting in radical change. This emerging class has profound leveling effects. Users can leverage RLT to produce national or international impacts without the need for significant technological expertise. These effects may occur via digital diffusion and without the need for extensive infrastructure. RLT are being driven by the power and expertise of online Open Source Communities. The ability of existing policy and enforcement methods to regulate this class of technology successfully, particularly within the counterproliferation space, suggests that a paradigm change is necessary. A spectrum of potential solutions is considered which advocates for collaborative efforts vice "hard policing" measures to engage online communities while also providing options to build additional security capacity within the government and law enforcement communities. Capacity can be gained via unconventional means including the use of cyber bounties, cyber privateering, hybrid fusion centers, and decentralized autonomous technology teams to improve support to existing special operations efforts, particularly within the counterproliferation mission set.