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Is Aussie law enforcement using creative techniques on Silk Road?
Some time back a report, supposedly commissioned by Qld police, was leaked via the dark web. Of course, being the dark web, it was impossible to confirm its legitimacy but it was pretty convincing....
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What the hell’s going on at Silk Road?
For two weeks, users of online drugs marketplace Silk Road have been unable to log in to the site more often than not, reporting timeouts, missing catchpas and other technical difficulties. Millions...
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Common misconceptions about child porn and sex offenders
When researching my story The New Underbelly, I wound up, as you do, with reams of information, the vast majority of which didn’t make it to the article due to space constraints or because it wasn’t...
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An identity crisis on the darkweb
Unless you’ve been under a rock, you would be aware that there are thriving underground black markets on the darkweb, offering everything from drugs to shrunken heads for sale. Many of these markets...
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Who’s got it in for the Silk Road?
Ever since the suspected DDoS attack in November, the admins at Silk Road have been combating a number of different scams and attacks on the site. The Quickbuy Scam (see below) – this vendor’s image...
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When a journo becomes the story
Last Wednesday I went along to sit in on the plea hearing of the first major Australian ‘Silk Road’ case, expecting to perhaps get a blog post out of it. I never expected what would come next. Where’s...
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A response to Vexnews
Last week, after one of my articles was unexpectedly submitted into evidence in court, an odd little online publication called Vexnews published a vicious, bizarre and inaccurate attack on me....
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Shadh1 – penalised for not propping up Aussie organised crime?
If small-time drug dealer shadh1 had purchased his drugs from Australians, his jail term would be less than half what he received. As a drug dealer, shadh1 was really really bad at his job. One of the...
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Red Pill, Blue Pill or No Pill?
The most successful Australian vendor on Silk Road has conned their customers out of tens of thousands of dollars Red pill, blue pill or no pills? Aussie vendor EnterTheMatrix had a simple and...
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Are there modern-day Gladitorial fights on the Darkweb?
One of the most pervasive urban myths on the darkweb is that you can find underground rings of Django Unchained-style fights to the death. Some of the believers claim they give millionaire members the...
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Interview with a (virtual) drug tsar
“We will be an adversary not to be trifled with. We have big plans for Atlantis, and we’re here to stay.”. As online drugs marketplace Silk Road sustains blows from an ongoing attack its owner says...
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The myth of the ‘Drug Pusher’
In Puberty Blues (the book, not the movie or TV show), there is a classic line where the protagonist’s mother warns her not to sit on the aisle at the movie theatre because “some pusher might come...
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Silk Road responds to competition with improvements of its own
Atlantis Marketplace has undertaken aggressive marketing of its site over the past few months, touting superior features to those offered by Silk Road. Its aim has been to both attract new customers...
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(Info)war declared
Silk Road users have been shocked twice in the past two days when a forum member released names, addresses and order details of dozens of purported customers. The user – first calling themselves ‘Info...
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The Fall of Atlantis – a Moderator tells
“Atlantis admins shut down the site and ran away with the coins. It’s the truth.” - Cicero, Moderator of Atlantis Marketplace forum Image: bitcoinexaminer.org. A little under six months ago – not long...
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About this $1.2 billion crap…
I owe much of this post to the work of Nicolas Christin, the researcher who previously provided the analysis of Silk Road’s income. He is much cleverer than me or you. Give him a follow on @nc2y One of...
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Defcon speaks about the state of Silk Road
For the first time since its original incarnation’s launch in January 2011, Silk Road has been knocked off as the dark market’s leader. It now comes in third. According to Vault 43, Evolution has...
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Special Agent Force, Alpacino and me
Given the readership of my blog has likely devoured the story of the awesomely-named Carl Mark Force IV and his colleague Detective Bridge (you couldn’t make these names up), I won’t rehash it here....
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DoctorX’s affidavit in support of Silk Road/Ross Ulbricht
Dr Fernando Caudevilla, better known to the darknet market users as DoctorX, has thrown his support behind Ross Ulbricht, convicted of being Silk Road’s Dread Pirate Roberts. DoctorX has provided an...
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What is it with Aussies and the darknet markets?
Ross Ulbricht, who was convicted earlier this year of being Dread Pirate Roberts, owner of online drugs bazaar Silk Road, is due to be sentenced next Friday. Australians were over-represented as...
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