Silk road closed

[Greetings]

Some of you might be aware of Silk Road. Those who aren't - google it.

Yesterday the webiste was closed by the FBI. Short story here:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/02/us-crime-silkroad-raid-idUSBRE9910TR20131002

Since it's late and there's nothing better to do, I've been reading the complaint that the FBI filed against the owner of Silk Road. While this is a long read, it's bloody interesting - offers both insight into how the website worked, how it helped users stay anonymous and looks closely at the steps the agents took to find the identity of the man behind it. The complaint even goes to quote private messages between the owner and a possible hitman hired to take care of a problematic user.

Those who fancy a read:

http://www1.icsi.berkeley.edu/~nweaver/UlbrichtCriminalComplaint.pdf

[The_Zulu]

I just wrote an essay of a rant but my phone died and I lost it-_-

So I'm gonna condense it into a sentence..

The deep web is an amazing and disgraceful place at the same time, very education and disgusting at the same time.

In ways I'm glad it's gone, others I'm not.

One great upside to the deep web was the ability to contact people anonymously, such as North Koreans being able to share their inside views on what is happening in their country.

Rant over, thanks for listening

[dann2707]

That was a f**king awesome read!

The private messages part was seriously surreal, made my mouth drop when he confirms it.

Thanks for that!

[1a2bcio8]

Yeah this is bad news. I've used the silk road recently and I know they (the FBI) have a mirror of the server from the last 60 days - someone on Reddit even said this might extend back to May. Granted I'm definitely small fish; my usage is very small but it's still somewhat worrying.

The deep web is an interesting place and has a lot of potential to be a force of good in the world but obviously it can easily constitute the latter as well. The possibility of arranging assassinations over it is very sketchy.

Edited October 3, 2013 by Ben Rowlands

[dann2707]

What did you use it for?

[The_Zulu]

I only ever bought tobacco off it, it was incredibly cheap and just read up on some bits, it's very very hard to navigate around the deep web

[1a2bcio8]

Hah, I knew that question was coming. Would I not be incriminating myself to say though? Especially given the NSA's power to record everything on the internet.

However, f**k it. I bought a bit of weed and something called modafinil to see if it would help with the concentration problems I've had since my accident. The latter isn't even a controlled substance though. I've possibly used it for other things in the past though

Although I may be just making all of this up.

[monkeyseemonkeydo]

Never heard of it before but glad it's gone if I'm honest. With a bit of luck they can also now track down some seriously nasty bastards who were involved. Watch yourself Ben!!

[1a2bcio8]

I've wrapped myself in tin foil so no worries.

[Greetings]

In all fairness though, is an online drug marketplace such a bad thing? After all that's what it evolved into. People have been using drugs and will continue to do so. SR gave credibility to dealers who strive to offer a high quality service both in the way the transaction is handled and the quality of merchandise. The complaint does mention that the quality of goods sold on SR was very high. This is much better in my opinion than people buying their stuff from nasty people in dark alleys and not having any certainty of what they are actually getting.

There are still plenty of places on the dark web that will cater to needs of drug users but they do not offer the credibility that SR vendors did. Personally I've never purchased anything on SR since I'd consider it unsafe (apparently, this is incorrect) but I find the fact that such a place existed very interesting.

[Revolver]

Even if Silk Road offered a high quality service, preferable to buying from dirty street dealers, the authority is obliged to close it down if they get the opportunity, just to uphold standards. On top of the fact than you could hire assassins over it which is very illegal.

[Azarathal]

Knowing that you'll get decent gear and have it delivered to your door was always a good thing, saves having to actually go out into the world and speak to people

[FamilyBiker]

anyone using tor/tor browser?

[dann2707]

I never even knew the deep Web existed until yesterday. How naive am I?!

[Ben Cox]

i'd heard of it, have now got Tor and having a browse, pretty interesting so far!

Ben

[1a2bcio8]

Even if Silk Road offered a high quality service, preferable to buying from dirty street dealers, the authority is obliged to close it down if they get the opportunity, just to uphold standards. On top of the fact than you could hire assassins over it which is very illegal.

Silk Road didn't offer assassinations. That was something you could procure elsewhere on the deep web. Silk Road also stopped the sale of firearms. It was predominantly about drugs although you could also buy things such as fake ids, methods of stealing from cash-points, etc.

It was pretty awesome really; akin to the Amazon.com of the drugs world. Being able to read reviews of a given seller and there being an escrow system (like paypal) to resolve issues of non-arrival, etc. was good. But then I think drugs should be legal so I would say that

The 'War on Drugs' in America is a rather dubious thing. In one sense because it's never ending and therefore, ultimately, ineffectual but also because of the increasing profitability that comes from incarcerating people whom are usually from poor backgrounds. The discrepancy between sentences that comes from using different types of drugs usually relates to the social group that uses them. These people aren't in a particularly good position to defend themselves and the prison system makes money both from the government for their incarceration and from selling them as labor.

I did a quick google to find the documentary I watched about this but I can't remember what it was. There was however a link that probably talks about what I am. I haven't read any of it except the beginning though

http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/08/14/presumed-guilty-how-prisons-profit-off-the-war-on-drugs/

Edited October 3, 2013 by Ben Rowlands

[JD™]

It amazes me that someone who created something that was so rooted in the (apparent, at least) anonymity of it's users could make such massive gaping errors of judgement regarding his own anonymity. That's pretty much all I think I can say out of my list of thoughts about this! I hear I may be seeing you this weekend though Mr Rowlands, and it'd be cool to chat in the real world about it?

[1a2bcio8]

You're going to be about this weekend? Awesome. I should have thought to message you actually but, yeah, definitely up for sharing some arguments with you

[He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named]

Why are you so happy about it? It stopped selling of drugs in your city? NO. Selling of weapons? NO. Selling of forged documents? NO. It's just the true face of people - all this shit will never stop.

By the way, every government is nothing, but organized criminal group that holds the power by force (army and police that is armed and trained far better than the average citizen).

So if there will be some utopian country or region with absolutely no criminality sometime - the government just would have 100% power and will dictate all the rules.

When you fight for your rights, when you want to make your life better - you are a criminal. That's how government reacts on any protest.

Obedience to laws is not always good and not always it leads to good life for people.

So I think any maximalist statements like YEAH IT"S COOL the GOVERNMENT IS CARE ABOUT US FUG YEAH!11 IT FIGHTS the CRIMINALITY AND MY LIFE IS BETTER BY 0.0000000003% NOW is pretty one-sided and narrow-minded.

We just like f**king hamsters in clutch - in the eyes of the government.

Why they have a right to decide what I can or can't have and do?

Maybe I love some drugs and this is my own choice to take it and to face the aftermath.

Why can't I have some good fully-automatic weapons to defend myself?

Anyway the problem of drug addiction is not solved and I don't think it will be solved ever. There are addicts, there are dealers, and nothing changes.

Edited October 3, 2013 by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named

[dann2707]

Why aren't you banned?

[Ben Cox]

Hey Clitgerm, hows it going? i'm neither happy or unhappy about this. This is the 1st time it has been brought to mainstream media, so of course the fbi are trumping it as a major win in the fight against drugs,guns, killing for money etc. I have had a quick browse and have found a number of things that amaze me and i'm sure i've only peeled one of many many layers!

[Sam T]

Took me over a hour to read that and im so glad i did! Amazing what happens in the deep web..

[this-is-really-stupid]

This is really stupid, why? I’m not have right just to express my own opinion? Maybe I have some problems with language, and it’s a little hard for me to preserve the meaning in other language, but to ban me just for this? You are f**king stupid angry 10-years old bitch or what? Why can’t you ARGUE like a man and discuss things like a human, not like a f**king twat.

Go and ban Ben because he’s a criminal, lol.

I can’t stand your stupidity and bitchness anymore.

Companies reputation, business, profit, now this. Are you kidding me? I want to say f**k YOU again.

I explained everything in comments to FamilyBiker status http://www.trials-forum.co.uk/topic/184549-goodbye/ so if you care you can read it.

f**k you guys, this is not ME not allowed to your community. Now I don’t want to be a part of this bunch of twats that seen only good life in one of the best country in whole world by quality of life and thinks that there are the same life across the borders. A bunch of twats that can’t even argue, only can shut my mouth and run away from the problem.

f**k you.

Kind regards,

Clerictgm

Edited October 3, 2013 by this-is-really-stupid

[Muel]

I think I speak for everyone when I say...

F**K OFF

Thankyou.

[1a2bcio8]

This is really stupid, why? I’m not have right just to express my own opinion? Maybe I have some problems with language, and it’s a little hard for me to preserve the meaning in other language, but to ban me just for this? You are f**king stupid angry 10-years old bitch or what? Why can’t you ARGUE like a man and discuss things like a human, not like a f**king twat.

Go and ban Ben because he’s a criminal, lol.

I can’t stand your stupidity and bitchness anymore.

Companies reputation, business, profit, now this. Are you kidding me? I want to say f**k YOU again.

I explained everything in comments to FamilyBiker status http://www.trials-forum.co.uk/topic/184549-goodbye/ so if you care you can read it.

f**k you guys, this is not ME not allowed to your community. Now I don’t want to be a part of this bunch of twats that seen only good life in one of the best country in whole world by quality of life and thinks that there are the same life across the borders. A bunch of twats that can’t even argue, only can shut my mouth and run away from the problem.

f**k you.

Kind regards,

Clerictgm

I don't think it's so much the language problem but more your aggressive attitude which is very evident in this post I've quoted. I personally don't think you should be banned for being that way but most people feel otherwise and I do understand their position. You're abrasive and it seems quite obvious that your intentions aren't always that good. That being said parts of what you've posted in the past seem reasonable so you're not entirely that way. If you want to be accepted into a community of people you have to adjust yourself to their expectations to a certain degree. Regardless of the rightness or wrongness of a community that's just the way it goes.

Can you reflect and see that perhaps you're bringing a ban on yourself?