The internet is easily one of mankind’s most important inventions of the 20th century, perhaps even of all time. There is no denying that the internet benefits us humans in many ways, making it very easy and convenient for us to effectively communicate with one another, look up information, and buy products that we want or need. However, with all these benefits the internet provides us, there is a dark side to our web use as well.
In my last blog, I discussed how trolling and bullying abound on the internet, and although these behaviors are just as damaging, quite possibly even more so than your usual schoolyard bully variety, there are few precedents and laws in place that can effectively prosecute these online criminals. It is a sad reality that many cyberbullies, such as Lori Drew, the woman whose cyberbully actions drove victim Megan Meier to commit suicide, literally got away with murder. Unfortunately, trolling and cyberbullying aren’t the only dark sides to the internet. Black market websites also abound on the internet.
When the term “online shopping” is brought up, we usually think of websites like ebay and amazon, websites where we can buy anything from clothing and videogames to novelty items and collectibles. You’re a student at Penn State and there’s no viable shopping mall near you? No problem, with just a few clicks of your mouse and your debit card information, you’ll be able to buy a super fratty polo shirt and have it delivered to your dorm commons without even having to leave campus. It’s 1 am and you’re feeling the munchies? You’ll be able to have Wings Over delivered to the library within 30 minutes, thanks to OrderUp.com. Online shopping provides a level of unparalleled convenience to shoppers worldwide, saving time and enabling many to buy items they normally wouldn’t have the ability too.
Although the vast majority of internet shoppers use the Web to buy legitimate products, there are those that do not. Black market websites have sprung up on the internet in recent years, one of the most notable being Silk Road. Silk Road was a website that was created in February of 2011. Unlike its namesake from China, the Silk Road website did not deal in silk, but rather in more illicit items. Users of the Silk Road online marketplace could buy and trade in items ranging from drugs like cocaine and ecstasy to fake identities using bitcoins, a form of online currency that can be exchanged for real money. The Silk Road website was a part of the darknet, a private network where connections are made using only between trusted peers using non-standard protocols and ports. This extreme secrecy and privacy that the darknet operated under makes it extremely difficult for law enforcement to track.
What is incredibly disturbing about the rise of the darknet and black-market websites is how much more convenient it is to engage in criminal activities. Much like how you can order Papa John’s online and have it sent to your house within an hour, you can now order up some cocaine and have it shipped to your residence rather conveniently. While in the past, black market deals had to be made in street corners and secret locations, with the fear of double crosses or law enforcement lurking in every dark corner, nowadays, with the right knowledge and connections, any determined lawbreaker can now buy any type of illegal substance and/or product through black market sites such as the Silk Road, with relatively little fear of criminal prosecution.
In October of 2013, the FBI shut down the Silk Road marketplace and arrested Ross William Ulbricht, the alleged owner and administrator. At the time that the Silk Road was shut down, it was earning an estimated $35 to $45 million in annual revenue, had made a profit of roughly $1.2 billion since it’s creation, and had around 60,000 site visits per day. Although the Silk Road marketplace, which was one of the most visited black market sites has been shut down, it has revolutionized the way criminal activity is conducted. For every black market site that is shut down, others will spring up to replace them, as sites such as Agora Drug Market and Black Market Reloaded, not to mention Silk Road 2.0 and 3.0. From drugs to firearms and even assassinations, these darknet sites will offer any type of contraband or illicit activity to anyone who’s willing to pay, and any determined criminal can now buy literally anything illegal they want from the relative safety of their home and the anonymity of the vast and secretive dark web. Like it or not, criminal activities have overtaken the vast and hugely lawless frontier of the Web, and these criminals are not going away anytime soon.
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