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@article{189264,
        author = {D. Naga Jogayya Kothakota},
        title = {DARK WEB MARKETS AND THEIR ROLE IN FACILITATING CHILD TRAFFICKING: A REVIEW},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2025},
        volume = {12},
        number = {7},
        pages = {6188-6199},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=189264},
        abstract = {Digital technologies have transformed the field of communication in a radical way, but they also allow carrying out new kinds of criminal exploitation. One of the most serious risks is the development of child trafficking with the help of the dark web a localized, encrypted, and anonymized part of the internet that is intended to hide the identity and activity of its users. The study analyses the use of the tools by traffickers to run child sexual abuse content (CSAM), participate in live-streamed abuse, and arrange illicit transactions of children. Some of the operational measures adopted by the perpetrators which are pointed out in the study include the grooming on social media, transfer into encrypted platforms and non-tracible payment in cryptocurrencies. Furthermore, the paper describes the changing environment in terms of the decentralized networks, content created with the use of AI, and the introduction of new, closed by invitation platforms that provide a challenge to traditional methods of investigations. Although the international fight against it--using organizations such as INTERPOL and Europol--has led to significant take-down of sites such as Welcome to Video and Boystown, new sites always arise, usually more advanced. This paper also examines why modern methods of policing are inadequate, what ethical issues are involved in the surveillance program as well as the mental strain that investigators undergo. In future countermeasures, promising developments are discussed by means of AI-based detection tools and blockchain analysis. Nonetheless, the lack of cohesive legal systems and understaffed organizations makes global response unfavourable. Based on the findings of this paper, it can be inferred that a multi-disciplinary, cross-border, and technologically responsive strategy is vital in dealing with the dark web facilitated child trafficking.},
        keywords = {Artificial Intelligence (AI), Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), Cryptocurrency, Dark Web, Encrypted Communication.},
        month = {December},
        }