In the day-to-day life of the regular law-abiding internet user, the dark web is mostly a scary unknown. Insofar as the average consumer knows, that side of the web – which is accessible only via a TOR server – is the place where their personal information is sold whenever there is a data breach.
A slightly more knowledgeable consumer might also know that the dark web is where one goes to buy illegal things with bitcoin.
And there is something to those particular stereotypes, since credit card numbers, passwords and Social Security numbers are all available for sale on the dark web. And, in the grand scale of illegal things up for purchase, credit card numbers are pretty tame. For example, if one happens to be looking for weapons, hard legal or illegal drugs or uranium, the dark web has all three up for grabs in various marketplaces.
Despite bitcoin’s reputation as the coin of the realm, when it comes to buying heavy narcotics, a bazooka or other such nefarious items, cash tends to be the preferred means of exchange. As it turns out, there are complaints galore from arms and drug dealers that bitcoin transactions are sketchy.