Category: Online Networks

Bouchard, M., Davies, G., Frank, R., Wu, Edith, & Joffres, K. (2020). Social structure of extremist websites. In J. Littlewood & L. L. Dawson (Eds.), Terrorism and Counterterrorism in Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

| Categories: Online Networks, Selected - Online networks

Through close analysis of the Canadian context, Terrorism and Counterterrorism in Canada provides an advanced introduction to the challenges and social consequences presented by terrorism today. Featuring contributions from both established and emerging scholars, it tackles key issues within this fraught area and does so from multiple disciplinary perspectives, using historical, quantitative, and qualitative lenses of analyses…

Kusz, J., & Bouchard, M. (2019). Nymphet or Lolita? A Gender Analysis of Online Child Pornography Websites. Deviant Behavior, 1-9.

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| Categories: Academic papers, Online Networks

Previous research on child pornography has primarily focused on the consumption and distribution of the material – the consumer side. In this study, we turn the focus on the content of child pornography websites. While some research assessed the content, there was little consideration of gender. This paper assesses whether gender is important in correlating…

Levey, P., & Bouchard, M. (2019). The emergence of violent narratives in the life-course trajectories of online forum participants. Journal of Qualitative Criminal Justice & Criminology, 6(3), 1-28.

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| Categories: Academic papers, Online Networks, Selected - Online networks

Online discussion forums have been identified as an online social milieu that may facilitate the radicalization process, or the development of violent narratives for a minority of participants, notably youth. Yet, very little is known on the nature of the conversations youth have online, the emotions they convey, and whether or how the sentiments expressed…

Westlake, B. G., Bouchard, M., & Girodat, A. (2017). How obvious is it? The content of child sexual exploitation websites. Deviant Behavior, 38(3), 282-293.

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| Categories: Academic papers, Online Networks

Those who distribute child sexual exploitation (CE) material in the public Internet potentially face greater risks of detection. While public distribution is prevalent, little is known about the structure of these websites. We investigate whether websites take steps to hide their purpose, and, if so, what steps are taken? We analyze 634 websites directly or…

Westlake, B., Bouchard, M., & Frank, R. (2017). Assessing the validity of automated webcrawlers as data collection tools to investigate online child sexual exploitation. Sexual Abuse, 29(7), 685-708.

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| Categories: Academic papers, Online Networks

The distribution of child sexual exploitation (CE) material has been aided by the growth of the Internet. The graphic nature and prevalence of the material has made researching and combating difficult. Although used to study online CE distribution, automated data collection tools (e.g., webcrawlers) have yet to be shown effective at targeting only relevant data….

Davies, G., Neudecker, C., Ouellet, M., Bouchard, M., & Ducol, B. (2016). Toward a framework understanding of online programs for countering violent extremism. Journal for Deradicalization, (6), 51-86.

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| Categories: Academic papers, Online Networks

There is an emerging consensus that ideologically-based narratives play a central role in encouraging and sustaining radicalization to violence, and that preventing, arresting, or reversing radicalization requires some means by which to address the effects of these narratives. Countering violent extremism (CVE) is a broad umbrella phrase that covers a wide array of approaches that…

Westlake, B. G., & Bouchard, M. (2016). Liking and hyperlinking: Community detection in online child sexual exploitation networks. Social Science Research, 59, 23-36.

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| Categories: Academic papers, Online Networks, Selected - Online 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…

G. Westlake, B., & Bouchard, M. (2016). Criminal careers in cyberspace: Examining website failure within child exploitation networks. Justice Quarterly, 33(7), 1154-1181.

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| Categories: Academic papers, Online Networks, Selected - Online networks

Publicly accessible, illegal, websites represents an additional challenge for control agencies, but also an opportunity for researchers to monitor, in real-time, changes in criminal careers. Using a repeated measures design, we examine evolution in the networks that form around child exploitation (CE) websites, over a period of sixty weeks, and determine which criminal career dimensions…

Frank, R., Bouchard, M., Davies, G., & Mei, J. (2015). Spreading the Message Digitally: A Look into Extremist Organizations’ Use of the Internet. In Y. Lau (Ed.), Cybercrime risks and responses (pp. 130-145). London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

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| Categories: Online Networks

Why would a terrorist choose to utilize the Internet rather than the usual methods of assassination, hostage taking, and guerrilla warfare? Conway (2006) identified five major reasons why extremist groups used the Internet: virtual community building, information provision, recruitment, financing, and risk mitigation. Terrorist and extremist organizations can use the Internet to increase their visibility…