Since this came up in class yesterday: here is a summary of the story around Silk Road, how it involved the use of Bitcoin, and what it might mean for the future of Bitcoin.
This is a topic that I had heard about but knew little to nothing about. After reading the attached article among several others, I learned several interesting facts about the Silk Road and Bitcoin. I think the identification of the Silk Road origins was hugely important and hopefully serves as a threat for future sites of similar purpose. However, the fact that an online black market like this could exist with massive success is a scary thought. While the primary product of the Silk Road was illicit drugs, the potential for the sale of other more dangerous products is not unreasonable. Future black markets like this could yield huge national security risks; the anonymity of these online markets could facilitate weapons trade for terrorists around the world. Just as easily as these websites can be eliminated by authorities, new black markets can sprout up.
Bitcoin or the Silk Road or any number of participants: drug-dealers, heist man, child pornographers, and the guy in the corner office looking to score really don't surprise me at all. It took two whole years for feds to actually come crashing down and make arrests and track down all those individuals that had garnered just about "1.2 billion in revenue and 78.8 million in commissions." And these mystical communities run through just about the same stuff as any other illegal downloads float on. ie: TOR networks (software allowing the preservation of anonymity on the internet and so forth) out of reach of federal law.
Perhaps a further point to add to this discussion is privacy and privileges under federal law and protection. This instance might just end up being another example individuals who backed SOPA and various other internet censorship campaigns can use. North Korea, for instance, amongst countries like China and parts of the Middle East, are all part of internet censorship promoters, severely impacting how their citizens see and contact the outside world. Will a slip up like the Silk Road impede on Average Joe's browsing rights?
Check out a map of internet censorship worldwide: ttp://tinypic.com/r/ngc9yx/5 *Wikipedia
Im no expert, but I believe you just made an excellent point. You certainly fully understand what youre speaking about, and I can truly get behind that. гидра онион
This is a topic that I had heard about but knew little to nothing about. After reading the attached article among several others, I learned several interesting facts about the Silk Road and Bitcoin. I think the identification of the Silk Road origins was hugely important and hopefully serves as a threat for future sites of similar purpose. However, the fact that an online black market like this could exist with massive success is a scary thought. While the primary product of the Silk Road was illicit drugs, the potential for the sale of other more dangerous products is not unreasonable. Future black markets like this could yield huge national security risks; the anonymity of these online markets could facilitate weapons trade for terrorists around the world. Just as easily as these websites can be eliminated by authorities, new black markets can sprout up.
ReplyDeleteBitcoin or the Silk Road or any number of participants: drug-dealers, heist man, child pornographers, and the guy in the corner office looking to score really don't surprise me at all. It took two whole years for feds to actually come crashing down and make arrests and track down all those individuals that had garnered just about "1.2 billion in revenue and 78.8 million in commissions." And these mystical communities run through just about the same stuff as any other illegal downloads float on. ie: TOR networks (software allowing the preservation of anonymity on the internet and so forth) out of reach of federal law.
ReplyDeletePerhaps a further point to add to this discussion is privacy and privileges under federal law and protection. This instance might just end up being another example individuals who backed SOPA and various other internet censorship campaigns can use. North Korea, for instance, amongst countries like China and parts of the Middle East, are all part of internet censorship promoters, severely impacting how their citizens see and contact the outside world. Will a slip up like the Silk Road impede on Average Joe's browsing rights?
Check out a map of internet censorship worldwide:
ttp://tinypic.com/r/ngc9yx/5
*Wikipedia
Correction: http://tinypic.com/r/ngc9yx/5
DeleteIm no expert, but I believe you just made an excellent point. You certainly fully understand what youre speaking about, and I can truly get behind that. гидра онион
ReplyDelete