Author name: GLITSS

Illicit activities in the electronic environment can no longer be considered non-traditional. Instead, the digital space has evolved into an environment where illicit actors can operate more comfortably and with a greater sense of security over longer periods of time.

Illicit trade affects all dimensions of contemporary societies, from economic stability and consumer safety to environmental sustainability and security governance. While often discussed in relation to drugs, weapons or human trafficking, illicit trade is increasingly embedded in everyday consumption patterns, particularly through cross-border e-commerce.

Cryptocurrencies are often celebrated as engines of innovation, tools that democratize finance, enhance transparency, and support new economic opportunities.

The Balkan Peninsula is a natural geographical bridge between Asia, Africa and Europe and therefore has significant geographical, historical, political, military-strategic and economic significance.

Ethereum, one of the most widely used blockchains, which supports over a million transactions per day and often sees over 200,000 newly deployed  smart contracts in a day. Alongside this success, it has also become a target for scams, Ponzi schemes, phishing attempts, and fraudulent ICOs.

In the global fight against illicit trade, sanctions have become the weapon of choice. From asset freezes to export bans, governments increasingly rely on economic pressure to isolate bad actors and enforce international norms. Yet a paradox emerges: the more aggressively sanctions are deployed, the more they may incentivize alternative alliances, shadow economies, and geopolitical polarization.

We have long since moved away from traditional understandings of the world around us. In a revolutionary pace of technological progress, artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly entering spheres that were until recently reserved for human actions, from medical diagnostics to border security, from technical matters to logical reasoning.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the coasts of England saw a significant amount of smuggling, which was supported by a large part of the local population.

The fight against illicit trade of cultural property constitutes a battleground for legal innovation, international cooperation, and criminal accountability.

The virtual universe of computer games is a wonder of technology and entertainment, but one that is haunted by a shadow economy of illicit trade hanging over it, imperiling the very fabric of economic and social ordering.