As digital marketplaces continue to expand and third-party sellers account for a significant share of global e-commerce, counterfeiters have adapted their practices, moving decisively from physical markets to online platforms.
In response, online platforms and brand owners have invested heavily in automated detection tools to identify and remove listings offering counterfeit goods. As safeguards evolve, criminal actors continue to refine their circumvention techniques.
One of the most deceptive and challenging methods to counter is the use of so-called hidden links; e-commerce listings that appear to offer legitimate generic products but lead to counterfeit goods. Such listings evade traditional detection mechanisms, allowing illicit trade to persist largely undetected. because they do not display infringing images or keywords.
The report proposes concrete strategies to address this evolving threat, including AI-enabled tools to simulate test purchases to identify discrepancies between advertised and delivered goods. It also recommends strengthened cooperation between e-commerce platforms, social media companies, brand owners, and law enforcement authorities.
By disrupting the communication channels that allow hidden links to proliferate and leveraging technological innovation, more effective and coordinated responses to online counterfeiting can be achieved
Why it matters
While it doesn’t reference media piracy, this publication explores techniques that are known to be used by pirates.
The report explains how hidden links operate, the actors involved, and the ecosystems that enable their dissemination, including the role of trusted affiliates, influencers, and closed online communities. It highlights how social media platforms and external websites are used to amplify these links, often outpacing enforcement efforts once listings become publicly known.
Hidden Links: Facilitating Criminal Activities While Exploiting E-Commerce. Landing page with link to report. January 2026. UNICRI (United Nations International Crime and Justice Research Institute
