How people on the Dark Web make money?The Dark Web is a collection of hidden websites, accessible only by special means. While in general nobody can access these sites, nobody knows who owns them or where they are being hosted. The Dark Web offers both those who host and visit websites an unbelievable level of anonymity. That means there are a lot of weird and often illegal things happening there. Thanks to the rise of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin it is now also possible to move money freely through the Dark Web. On this relatively small hidden network, that must lead to a massive economy. Every year hundreds of millions change hands through different streams of revenue. So how in the Dark Web do people make so much money?
How are they paid? “0/0.1855.jpg” So you just heard that the secret to moving money across the Dark Web is cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin but what does that mean? We have much more detailed articles on Bitcoin and the Dark Web but we can go over the most important points for the purposes of this post. Cryptocurrencies are digital cash equivalents. Unlike all other electronic transactions, each instance of money changing hands is not linked to a particular person. Encryption and a special distributed central ledger known as “blockchain” are used to check all transactions without the need for any kind of ID. Because of this strong identity protection many people felt emboldened to use Bitcoin for black market transactions. Unfortunately it turns out that Bitcoin is not really anonymous. Newer cryptocurrencies however have worked to resolve any privacy holes found in Bitcoin. Regardless of whether someone receives money over the Dark Web, it’s invariably in crypto form. Selling Stuff on Black Markets
“0/0.1856.jpg” By selling items on the markets, the most obvious way people make money on the Dark Web is. If you are interested in the finer details, we’ve written lengthily about Darknet Markets. The most important thing to know is that essentially these are like any normal online shopping site. The difference is that the persons who buy and sell are anonymous. The site itself acts as a trust-enforcing middleman and a fair deal. The customer gets a cut of every offer for that company. Darknet Markets sells all kinds of stuff. When it comes to physical goods the biggest money spinner is drugs. Markets such as the now-defunct Silk Road sent tons and tons of illicit narcotics to buyers around the world.
Making Illegal Content
The world is a pretty liberal place and, when it comes to content, almost anything goes in the free world. Nonetheless, there are still many limitations, particularly when somebody is harmed by the material in question. The Dark Web has grown into a haven for illegal content. Here, child pornography is the major example and people are going to sell some of the most heinous material known to humankind. It’s not pretty and it’s going to destroy your faith in humanity but somebody still benefits. Information brokering
Information is an incredibly valuable commodity and the Tor network was originally designed to help people get important information out of tough places. If you have any valuable information why not sell it rather than give it away. Selling the fruits of corporate espionage is one lucrative new way to make money on the Dark Web. The right information could make the right buyer worth millions and they’ll pay a lot for it.
“0/0.1858.jpg” Several potential victims remain on the Dark Web. The people who seek to make money in the ways we discussed above often end up being scammed. Since no one really knows who anybody is on the Dark Web, it’s hard to know whether the deal you’re offering is legit. That’s why many people end up making a bunch of money on the Dark Web to fool the hidden network of other people. If people find incriminating evidence about a person they that blackmail them directly, it is not just straight up scamming either. Rather than find a third party to sell that information to. Of example, if someone had a famous person’s compromising footage, they could ask of regular payments to stop releasing the information to the media.
As you can see most of the forms people make money on the Dark Web falls on the wrong side of the legislation. While some people also make a little money by getting donations or selling legal items on Darknet Markets, they don’t even do a small fraction of the illegal goods trade. So the solution to how people make money on the Dark Web is the general sale of stuff that is against the law.