Step Into the Dark Web My Sweet
February 27, 2018
Parents tell their children, “If you do not go looking for trouble, it will not come looking for you.” How many of us would like to believe this is true? Sometimes, without even trying, trouble finds us and we can become entangled in illegal activities. One of the benefits of the Dark Web (if there are any) is that it is very hard to stumble upon and get in trouble. The Dark Web requires a special browser, then you need to search for the Web site addresses, and most of the time those do not work. If you do get embroiled in the Dark Web, merchants of illegal goods will do their best to earn your trust and your dollars. Natuilus explains how in the article, “How Darknet Sellers Built Trust.”
There is always a risk buying online, even from reputable places like eBay and Amazon. The Dark Web, however, has a very high buyer satisfaction rate and sellers are reputable. One would think that the Dark Web would be chock full of scammers, but it is not. Before the FBI shut down the Silk Road in 2013, an illegal drug marketplace, more than 100 of drug orders the agency placed tested for high purity levels.
Reputation is everything for Dark Web sellers and their selling profiles mirror eBay and Amazon. There are even discount programs, sales, and loyalty programs; even more amazing are the sellers that appeal to buyer’s ethics by selling “organic” and “conflict-free” drugs. While Dark Web sellers have a high approval rate, it is possible that the feedback is inflated.
Social pressure encourages us to leave high scores in public forums. If you have experienced an Uber driver saying at the end of a trip, “You give me five stars, I’ll give you five stars, ” that’s tit for tat or grade inflation in action. I know I’m reluctant to give a driver a rating lower than four stars even if I have sat white-knuckled during the ride as he whizzed through lights and cut corners. Drivers risk being kicked off the Uber platform if their ratings dip below 4.6 and I don’t want to be responsible for them losing, in some instances, their livelihood. Maybe they are just having a bad day. That, and the driver knows where I live. In other words, reviews spring from a complex web of fear and hope. Whether we are using our real name or a pseudonym, we fear retaliation and also hope our niceties will be reciprocated.
Despite the “inflation,” sellers and buyers are quite happy with their illegal marketplace. It takes the place of the street dealer and there is a chain of accountability in online discussion forums. The risk factor is also taken out. It is a lot safer to have drugs delivered to a mailbox than meeting someone in a dark alley.
The Dark Web marketplace is a white collar retail experience, except the products sold, are illegal. At least they offer discounts on multiple purchases and fewer stabbings.
Whitney Grace, February 27, 2018
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Step Into the Dark Web My Sweet : Stephen E. Arnold @ Beyond Search