Reports
Facebook’s Black Market in Antiquities
In June 2019, the ATHAR Project published its landmark report, "Facebook’s Black Market in Antiquities: Trafficking, Terrorism, and War Crimes," exposing the scale of illicit antiquities trafficking on social media. Drawing on two years of investigative research, the investigation revealed connections between looters, organized criminal networks, and terrorist organizations, highlighting Facebook’s role in facilitating transnational trafficking and the urgent need for platform accountability.
World Politics Review - How Facebook Made It Easier Than Ever to Traffic Middle Eastern Antiquities
In August 2018, Katie Paul and Amr Al-Azm published an investigation in World Politics Review examining how Facebook transformed antiquities trafficking across the Middle East. Drawing on research that laid the groundwork for the ATHAR Project, they documented online networks facilitating illegal excavation, artifact sales, and loot-to-order transactions, highlighting how social media democratized the illicit trade and connected looters directly with international buyers.