Latest Report Into Silk Road Reveals Business Bigger Than Ever
Ever since it was launched in February 2011, Silk Road has grown to be the most popular hidden site that deals in drugs considered contraband in most states. It allows users to anonymously browse and buy drugs without risking arrest or association with drug dealers.
Today the website sells more than just drugs. You can also buy other items such as apparel, art, books, computer equipment, collectibles, and digital goods along with other categories of merchandise. It is one of the most popular sources of stolen content, forged documents, hacking ware and all kinds of illegal items. However, Silk Road does not deal in weapons and child pornography.
The website has been able to maintain anonymity of its members through the use of Bitcoin as a medium of exchange; a digital currency that is literally untraceable. Members logging on to the website can only access it through a hidden network known as TOR.
The site has however undergone a series of challenges ever since its launch. The first set back was the arrest of Dread Pirate Roberts on 2nd October 2013. He was believed to be the proprietor of the site and had until then been doing a great job of evading the authorities. The FBI had been after him ever since 2011. The site was also shut down soon after his arrest.
Silk Road was however restored despite the arrest of the man believed to be its proprietor. It was business as usual until another incident took place. The website was hacked and robbed off over 4,000 Bitcoin amounting to $2.7 Million. According to an explanation by one of the site’s administrators going by the name Defcon, the hackers took advantage of a bug known as transaction malleability, which was a problem with Bitcoin and could not be prevented by the site’s anti-hacking measures. This was another hard hit to the site’s business.
Despite the ups and down, the site is enjoying bigger sales than before. Currently, the site has over 13,000 different types of drugs listed. It is enjoying better sales than it did before its shut down. It is also the leading market place for illegal drugs and maintains a big lead ahead of its competitors such as Agora, which only has 7,000 listed drugs.
During the time that the website was down, many similar sites came up in an attempt to fill in the gap and tap into the underground market but none has been able to attain the same level of success Silk Road has. One of the strategies employed by Silk Road was to give back bitcoins to customers who had been affected by the hack. This won back the confidence of many customers who thought that the site had deliberately defrauded them.
The site continues to grow winning new customers and from the look of things, it will continue to attract more clients than any other black market on the internet. This is a clear indicator that people have put the past behind and it is back to business as usually on Silk Road. Visit this link http://silkroaddrugs.org to learn more about the Silk Road anonymous marketplace.
