So this is where they collared the man they call the Dread Pirate Roberts.
It’s up a flight of stone steps, past the circulation desk and the Romance stacks, over in Science Fiction, far corner.
On a sunny Tuesday in October, federal officers entered the public library in the Glen Park section of this city and arrested a young man who they say ran a vast Internet black market — an eBay of illegal drugs.
Their mark, Ross William Ulbricht, says he is not the F.B.I.’s Dread Pirate Roberts, the nom de guerre of the mastermind behind the marketplace, Silk Road. And the facts, his lawyer says, will prove that.
However this story plays out, Silk Road already stands as a tabloid monument to old-fashioned vice and new-fashioned technology. Until the website was shut down last month, it was the place to score, say, a brick of cocaine with a few anonymous strokes on a computer keyboard. According to the authorities, it greased $1.2 billion in drug deals and other crimes, including murder for hire.
That this story intruded here, at a public library in a nice little neighborhood, says a lot about the dark corners of the Internet. Glen Park isn’t the gritty Tenderloin over the hills, or Oakland or Richmond out in East Bay. And that is precisely the point. The Dark Web, as it is known, is everywhere and nowhere, and it’s growing fast.
No sooner was the old Silk Road shut down than a new, supposedly improved Silk Road popped up. Other online bazaars for illegal guns and drugs are thriving.
And the Dread Pirate Roberts — the old one, a new one, who knows? — is back, taunting the authorities. (The pseudonym is a reference to a character in the film “The Princess Bride” who turns out to be not one man but rather many men passing down the title.)
“It took the F.B.I. two and a half years to do what they did,” the Dread Pirate Roberts wrote last week on the new Silk Road site. “But four weeks of temporary silence is all they got.”
So catch us if you can, the Dread Pirate is saying. The new Silk Road has overhauled its security and “marks the dawn of a brand new era for hidden services,” he wrote.
The question is, can anyone really stamp out the Dread Pirates? Like the rest of the Internet, the Dark Web is being shaped and reshaped by technological innovation.
The Latest Google Headlines on:
The Dark Web
[google_news title=”” keyword=”The Dark Web” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
The Latest Bing News on:
The Dark Web
- Data Theft from NHS Dumfries and Galloway Leads to Dark Web Publicationon May 7, 2024 at 3:05 am
After initially publishing a small segment of the data as a “proof pack,” the perpetrators went on to carry out their threat by releasing a substantial volume of sensitive information online. NHS Dumfries and Galloway’s Chief Executive,
- Proton's new password monitor update will scour the dark web on your behalfon May 6, 2024 at 11:40 am
Proton’s password manager, Proton Pass, just received a security update that brings advanced monitoring, among other tools. The company’s Pass Monitor will let you know if your passwords and email addresses have been used on the dark web.
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Digital underworld
[google_news title=”” keyword=”digital underworld” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
The Latest Bing News on:
Digital underworld
- ‘Abigail’: Vampire Movie Already Gets Digital Streaming Dateon May 6, 2024 at 4:18 pm
Alisha Weir and Kathryn Newton in "Abigail." Alisha Wier stars as Abigail (Alisha Weir), the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld crime boss. After a shady figure named Lambert ...
- The wait is over: Hades 2 is out now in early access on Steamon May 6, 2024 at 10:28 am
Hades 2, the highly anticipated sequel to one of the best games of all time, just launched into early access on Steam.The Latest Tech News, Delivered to Your Inbox ...
- Abigail: Here’s how to watch on digital? Check release dateon May 6, 2024 at 9:34 am
After only two weeks in theaters, the digital release date for the horror film "Abigail" has been officially confirmed. Despite its brief theatrical run starting on April 19, the film received mostly ...
- Abigail Digital Release Date Set for Universal’s Vampire Movieon May 6, 2024 at 6:21 am
Universal and director duo Radio Silence (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett) have revealed the Abigail digital release date, and home viewers can sink their teeth into gory vampire action soon.
- Kate Beckinsale Returns to the Red Carpet for the First Time Since Health Scare: 'It's Been a Rough Year' (Exclusive)on May 2, 2024 at 5:58 pm
The 'Underworld' actress returned to the red carpet at the inaugural King's Trust Gala in New York City on Thursday, May 2 Sabienna Bowman is a Digital News Editor at PEOPLE, where she has been ...
- Byte Out of Crime: Ukrainian Hacker 'Rabotnik' Jailed for $700M Ransom Rampage in U.S.on May 2, 2024 at 10:05 am
Ukrainian hacker Yaroslav Vasinskyi sentenced to over 13 years for involvement in a $700 million ransomware scheme.
- Kate Beckinsale lands next lead movie role in true story kidnapping dramaon April 29, 2024 at 12:50 pm
Kate Beckinsale has landed her next lead movie role, in a kidnapping drama based on a true story. The Underworld, Van Helsing and The Widow actor will lead Stolen Girl alongside Fast X actor Scott ...
- The Unseen Resurgence of Music Piracy: A Deep Dive into the Digital Underworldon April 29, 2024 at 2:46 am
The decline in music piracy over the past seven years seemed to correlate with the industry’s shift away from exclusive album releases on specific platforms. Muso CEO Andy Chatterley points out that ...
- Can Minecraft’s virtual world help grieving children cope with real loss?on April 28, 2024 at 12:00 am
A Canadian bereavement specialist is using the popular video game Minecraft in therapy sessions with kids — and she’s seeing promising results.
- New trailer for 'Star Wars Outlaws' video game proclaims a golden age for the underworld (video)on April 22, 2024 at 9:00 am
Pushing past the mounting publisher controversies over pricing and annoying rumblings heard about the lead character's digital likeness, Ubisoft and its Massive Entertainment have released a dynamic ...