Why The Dark Web Is Not A Secure Platform For Criminals

The Dark Web. We've read about it, and many of us have tried it once or twice just to see it. Recently, a bunch of news articles in the media have shown how awful a place it is to break the law. Here's why..

Last week, a French Israeli was sentenced to 20 years for dealing drugs on Dream Market. Here's how he got busted:

He had over 60 sales. At first he didn't sell to the US, then he did - three times to a post office box in Miami which was really FBI agents. Here's where it gets interesting..

Dream Market has a message forum. This person had posted literally hundreds of messages, giving the FBI a massive writing sample. Dream Market let people donate money to vendors/dealers. The FBI traced bitcoin withdrawals to a real person. Then, they Googled that person and saw he had social media accounts - Twitter and Instagram for starters.

They were able to compare the writing. When you post hundreds of messages on an illegal market, you are "feeding the feds!" Duh..

Then, he flew to the US with his laptop, that had all of his logins. They picked him up at the airport, and now he has 20 years to think things over. And this is federal court, which means only 15% off for good behavior. He's 36 and will get out of prison at age 53.

The dark web is touted as a secure world because computers can't be identified. True, but everything else can. Everything a criminals says on the dark web is collected by law enforcement. If you're not committing crimes, you have nothing to fear - FBI agents will be bored reading about your life.

Drug Dealers With Instagram Accounts
Think back to the 1970's or 1980's. There was no social media. Today, many of the people selling drugs and weapons have social media accounts in their real lives, and they think their online persona on the dark web can't be traced to them. That's a huge risk that I wouldn't advise taking.

Obviously, don't break the law. Keep it legal and enjoy your life. Don't mess with the USA and commit felonies there - directly or indirectly. Not smart.

Beyond that, when I see the crime busts on the dark web and how easily the feds catch people, it blows my mind. None of us are smarter than a large law enforcement organization. The people who are actively breaking the law on the dark web are leaving a trail of evidence, with everything they do.

The dark web is only as secure as the person using it.