Key scientific ideas and proposals.
In a highly centralized network, there is a single entity that controls all information flows. In a less centralized network, there is no such single point of failure. People can send information to each other even if some communication channels are blocked. Changing the centrality measure used to analyse a scheme allows us to learn different information about the elements of the scheme.
Social network analysis methods provide some useful tools for addressing one of the most important aspects of social structure: the sources and distribution of power. The type of network suggests that the power of individuals is not an individual attribute, but arises from their relationships with others.
Illegal networks differ from regular networks in that they must conceal their activities from external controlling factors – law enforcement agencies. The need for secrecy leads conspiratorial participants to conceal their activities by creating scattered networks.
