What is Bitcoin Dark Web? It’s difficult to discuss the history of Bitcoin without mentioning its famous connections to the dark Web and how such affiliations are used as a major argument against the viability of digital assets. In the following, we will have a closer look at the emergence of the dark side of the Internet and Bitcoin getting stuck in it.
You may think that searching the Internet only ends with the Google search engine, but it is not! In reality, Google and its crawling spiders don’t have access to a huge portion of the Internet, and we can only see a few pages using Google. Usually, our activity on the Internet is limited to browsing social networks, browsing the Web, checking news and daily events, watching videos, downloading movies or music, and similar things. Still, under this superficial and calm layer, there are deep and huge layers that ordinary people cannot access.
This dark and perhaps scary part is known as the “dark web,” a platform that cannot be used easily and with peace of mind! But what exactly is the dark Web? What happens in it? And what does it have to do with digital currencies, especially Bitcoin? These are the questions that we want to answer.
Table of Contents
Universal and accessible Web
For a better understanding of the Dark Web and the World Wide Web, pay attention to the image below:
As you can see in the picture, although the leaves of a carrot are visible on the surface of the soil, the main part is hidden under the soil. According to this issue, we can name the visible parts as World Wide Web or surface web; This section is available to the public, and everyone can use it easily.
But its deeper part, hidden under the soil, like a mysterious, scary, and complex network called Deep Web, includes the dark part of the Internet or the Dark Web.
What is the Deep Web?
The deep Web is a large part of the Internet whose content is not publicly visible and not indexed by regular search engines such as Google. To describe its content more precisely, we can refer to the internal network of organizations, departments, governments, and universities.
This layer provides the security of information and data of organizations and governments, etc., using P2P ( peer-to-peer ) connections for direct and secret transmission. You have. The term ” deep web ” was introduced in 2000 by a computer engineer named Mike Bergman, But in 2009, exactly when the media and some people started illegal activities under the surface layer of the Internet, Deep Web and Dark Web became popular.
What is the dark Web?
We can introduce the dark Web or the dark Web as the scary and illegal part of the Internet. But what is the reason for this? You cannot access this part of the Internet using standard search engines; Rather, you need to use special software, special settings, or even have the desired URL to achieve what you want. Finally, accessing the dark Web is not easy, and it is difficult to trace the hosts of illegal websites.
In the dark Web, privacy, security, and anonymity are the first words, and this is exactly what made it a paradise for communication and planning criminal activities! These criminal activities mainly involve buying and selling drugs, illegal goods, human body parts, money laundering, betting, financial fraud, etc.
Comparison of deep Web, dark Web, and surface Web
According to the previous explanations and information, we examined and compared the three parts of the Internet, which include the deep Web, the dark Web, and the surface web :
Is Bitcoin stuck on the dark Web?
In 2017, we saw an astronomical increase in the value of Bitcoin, which reached $20,000, and then went into a downward trend and free fall! Can we attribute this to transactions that occur on the dark Web? To answer this question, let’s examine the historical events of that time. Of course, before this, it is better to know why Bitcoin and other digital currencies are ideal for transactions on the dark Web.
Reasons to use Bitcoin Dark Web.
One of the most important factors that led to the growth and recognition of Bitcoin was blockchain technology and solving the problem of centralization. Decentralized blockchain technology has important and inherent features that align with the goals of the dark Web. We will talk about them below:
- being anonymous
Some say staying anonymous and doing transactions without leaving a trace is unnecessary! But let’s look deeper into the matter. We will find that the possibility of recording the transaction without revealing the identity on the dark Web is an advantage that has made Bitcoin and other digital currencies popular.
Transactions in digital currencies are almost untraceable; Why do we say almost? Because when a transaction is made, it is recorded in the blockchain that such a transaction has been made; that is, the addresses are traceable, but we cannot trace the original owner and the people behind these transactions.
- security
If we talk about the volume of transactions done on the dark Web, you will definitely be surprised! From murder to buying illegal drugs, financing these things is very expensive, and they can’t afford to delay transactions! Traders of this market need a safe and secure means to make transactions and settle their funds.
Blockchain technology uses encryption to secure transactions in Bitcoin and other digital currencies. Blockchain can be a safe platform for transactions of traders in the dark web world; Because it verifies data in a set of blocks that are nearly impossible to compromise. Additionally, Bitcoin users have unique private keys to access their wallets, making them more secure.
Dark Web and Bitcoin
Cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin have been hailed as fuel for illegal ships in the dark web world, and so far, illegal ships have traveled millions of kilometers. However, experts predict that there will come a time when the captains of these ships, the masterminds behind the illegal transactions, will be stopped, and that time may come sooner than we expect.
According to studies and reports, about 47% of Bitcoin transactions are done on the dark Web. You got it right! Half of Bitcoin transactions are dedicated to satisfying the whims of the dark web mafia, while the other half is in the hands of cryptocurrency enthusiasts.
Altcoins and the dark Web
Since the beginning of Bitcoin, many people did not know how it worked and thought that Bitcoin was suitable for completely anonymous transactions, it became popular to use Bitcoin for illegal transactions in the dark web world, and of course, this trend is still going on.
After the awareness of Bitcoin increased and people realized BTC’s feature that transactions and the number of assets of a Bitcoin address can be intercepted and tracked, many digital currencies with the claim of complete anonymity entered the cryptocurrency world to compete with Bitcoin.
Why are altcoins better than Bitcoin for transactions in the dark web world?
Altcoins process transactions faster and better preserve anonymity with a certain level of reliability. Their relatively low transaction fees and value also make them easier to use.
Altcoins such as Monero, Zcash, Verge, Dash, and Grin are digital currencies that try to keep the real identity hidden more than Bitcoin by focusing on the privacy of users; In this way, the conditions for making illegal transactions became better than before for criminals, and they continued their activities almost without worry.
Silk Road, Amazon of Drugs
Is Bitcoin’s crash in November 2011 related to illegal transactions on the dark Web? The answer to this question is positive, But what happened, and why did Bitcoin fall 90%? One of the names that have been hacked along with the dark Web in the minds of Bitcoin enthusiasts is Silk Road, also known as the Amazon of drugs.
This website was founded and launched in January 2011 by Ross Ulbrick, aka Dread Pirate Roberts. As this site started working on the dark Web, Bitcoin transactions increased, and in February 2011, the value of BTC tripled!
After about a month, the American police found out about the connection between the Silk Road project and Bitcoin, and it didn’t take long until the price of Bitcoin dropped by about 90% in November 2011! Finally, in October 2013, the FBI shut down this online drug store and arrested Slickroad’s operator, Ross Ulbrick.
Amazon Drugs, also known as Slick road, was the first dark web store to support Bitcoin for drug and other illegal goods transactions. After that, the website The Armory, the largest online center for buying and selling weapons, supports Litecoin and Bitcoin. Other illegal sites are AlphaBay, Dream Market, Tochka Empire Market, Hansa, and Wall Street.
final word
In this valuable article, we tried to talk about the deep Web, dark Web, and surface Web and the difference between them. As we said, the dark Web is a dark part of the Internet, and Bitcoin being stuck there is related to its important features, anonymity, and security. Still, these two features are very much appreciated in this underground world and our normal world. As a result, we cannot say that Bitcoin is not suitable for this world.
Finally, since surfing the dark Web and the deep part of the Internet is dangerous, we recommend that you refrain from entering the dark Web without sufficient knowledge and information and do not expose yourself to possible dangers.
