Digital technologies and drug-related crime: Problems of counteracting the use of «telegram» messenger for trafficking drugs

Abstract

The article describes the role of modern information technologies in the emergence of the phenomenon of non-contact trade in illicit drugs. The authors show how the use of digital technologies has influenced changes in the typology of participants of illegal drug trade. They present a contemporary classification of drug criminals which, along with the standard roles of organizers, coordinators, smugglers and couriers, includes such participants as developers of psychoactive substances, «market specialists», «storage men», «dispatchers», «mentors», «HR people», stash couriers («stash men»), «cashiers», «promoters» («graffiti people», «writers», «stencil people», «spammers»), «collectors», «droppers». The authors have analyzed illegal content on Telegram messenger, which allowed them to identify 70 Telegram-channels with tens of thousands of subscribers. They present a classification of thematic Telegram-channels, the dynamics of their subscriber numbers and the audience coverage in 2018. The article contains information regarding the position of law enforcement bodies on the problems connected with blocking this messenger and presents replies of the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Communications and Mass Media to the requests of citizens to block certain Telegram-channels. It is noted that blocking the whole messenger leads to a negative social reaction because Telegram is a convenient service for instant exchange of messages and a platform for legal content highly demanded by the greatest majority of the messenger’s users. At the same time, it is unacceptable when the service is used to involve people in drug abuse and illegal trade. Based on the current situation, the authors suggest new amendments to legislation, in particular, the organizers of instant messengers, used for placing publicly available information in the Internet and transmitting electronic messages to one or more specific persons, should be subject to liabilities and limitations provided in the Federal Law «On Information, Information Technologies, and Information Protection» of July 27, 2006, № 149-ФЗ regarding the placement of information.