# The darkweb: a social network anomaly

**Authors:** Kevin P. O'Keeffe, Virgil Griffith, Yang Xu, Paolo Santi, Carlo Ratti  
**arXiv:** [2005.14023](https://arxiv.org/abs/2005.14023)  
**Date:** 2020-05-27  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/paper/2005.14023v2/

## Key points

- 87% of darkweb sites do not link to another site
- Darkweb is described as a collection of isolated dark silos
- Distinct behavior of darkweb users compared to WWW users
- Siloed structure of the darkweb differs from other social networks
- Generalized preferential attachment model partially explains topology of the darkweb
- Anomalous behavior exhibited by darkweb users remains elusive
- Findings hold relevance for network scientists, social scientists, and other researchers studying large-scale social interactions
- Darkweb has unconventional characteristics and diverges from traditional web structures and user behaviors

## Summary

In their study titled "The Darkweb: A Social Network Anomaly," Kevin P. O'Keeffe, Virgil Griffith, Yang Xu, Paolo Santi and Carlo Ratti analyze the structure of the darkweb and discover its unusual nature. They find that approximately 87% of darkweb sites never link to another site, leading them to conclude that calling it a "web" is misleading. Instead, they describe it as a collection of isolated dark silos. To understand the distinct behavior of darkweb users compared to those on the World Wide Web (WWW), the researchers conduct a detailed comparison between the two networks. They observe that the siloed structure of the darkweb significantly differs from other social networks, indicating unique social behavior among its users. While a generalized preferential attachment model partially explains the peculiar topology of the darkweb, understanding the anomalous behavior exhibited by its users remains elusive. Nonetheless, these findings hold relevance for network scientists, social scientists and other researchers interested in studying large-scale social interactions among diverse agents. Overall, this study sheds light on the unconventional characteristics of the darkweb and highlights its divergence from traditional web structures and user behaviors.