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Linux offers security through more than obscurity lol

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16801382

has this been posted before?

Out of reach of regular internet searches is the secretive online world known as the 'dark web' - anonymous, virtually untraceable global networks used by political activists and criminals alike.

"You have the availability of multiple dealers so you can compare products - and customers can review the dealer's product, too."

American student, David - not his real name - explains why he chooses to buy illegal drugs on the so-called 'dark web'.

"You don't have to go in front of a street dealer, where there might be a risk of violence," he adds.

And it is not just drugs which are available on this online black market. Fake passports, guns - even child pornography.
Anonymous drug dealers

The dark web is facilitated by a global network of computer users who believe the internet should operate beyond the supervision of law enforcement agencies.

It allows users like David, and those who sell him drugs, to remain anonymous. Users often do not know the real identity of the fellow users they are dealing with, and it is very difficult - although not impossible - for authorities to track them.

5 live Investigates spoke online with a number of anonymous dark web users.

One told the programme "I feel much safer [online] than doing transactions in the real world. I used to sell drugs in the real world. Nowadays I almost strictly use the dark web for any drug transaction."

Another said: "If you're young and trying to find a contact for drugs harder than marijuana it is practically impossible without risking exposure and arrest."

Getting access to the dark web depends on users downloading freely available software, based on peer-to-peer file-sharing technology, which effectively scrambles the location of users and dark web websites.

It is not just a criminal domain, either - the dark web has proved a crucial tool in concealing the identity of political campaigners living in countries with oppressive governments.

It is said to have helped some of the organisers behind the Arab Spring protests.

That said, the potential for criminal enterprise is significant.

Researchers from the 5 live Investigates team successfully accessed the dark web, and made a purchase of the hallucinogen DMT - a class A drug, ranking it on a par with heroin and cocaine.

An extra layer of secrecy is added to the dark web by the use of Bitcoins - an electronic currency which is used legitimately by online gamers, but which can be used by criminals to mask their financial transactions.

After a wait of around 3 weeks a package arrived in the post with a Spanish postmark. Concealed between two thin strips of cardboard was a white powder.

Analytical Services International, at St George's University of London examined the drugs.

The lab test proved the powder was DMT - and that the dark web works.

We have no idea who sent the drugs to us. They have now been destroyed by the lab as possession of DMT can lead to a jail sentence of up to seven years.

Dealers of DMT can face a maximum life term in prison.

But what is being done to police the criminal activity that takes place on the dark web?

"Police officers on both sides of the Atlantic say the same thing," says John Carr, an internet security advisor to the British government and the United Nations.

"We don't have enough courts, we don't have enough judges, and we don't have enough police officers to tackle the real scale of illegal behaviour on the internet.

"What that means is increasingly we're going to have to look to technical solutions, we're going to have to look to the internet industry to help civil society deal with this really enormous problem the dark web has created," Mr Carr told the BBC.

"The police service is acutely aware of the large and growing problem of cybercrime and is actively working with police nationally and internationally along with the private sector in a bid to combat criminality on the web," says Deputy Assistant Commissioner Janet Williams, the lead on e-crime for the Association of Chief Police Officers.

Yet for all their efforts much of the illegal activity on the dark web remains beyond the reach of the police, and to some supporters of the dark web, its anonymity is its virtue.

They point to the protection it has offered to anti-government bloggers who spread the message of revolution during the Arab Spring.

And they argue that it continues to provide cover for dissidents who might otherwise face persecution in China.

For US student and dark web user David, it is about freedom of choice:

"Many people share the belief, myself included, that drugs should be legal and the dark web is that belief put into action."

Yes, there are Vendors who ship over the big pond.  Is it riskier?  Of course.  But, most of these vendors have been doing this for a while.  They know how to package it properly.  Occasionally packages go missing.  Part of doing business.  Most I believe are either ripped off or lost.  Some I'm sure are found by customs.  Usually if its found by customs you'll get a nice little letter telling you that a suspicious package sent to you was intercepted by customs.  If its a small amount I believe that's just about all that will happen in most countries. I think the only country that receives a lot of attention is The Netherlands.

Usually if its found by customs you'll get a nice little letter telling you that a suspicious package sent to you was intercepted by customs*

*If it contains marijuana seeds, schedule III or V pharmaceuticals, or legal research chemicals

I rarely hear of interceptions so on't have a particularly large sample size to go off of, but I can't recall hearing of anyone getting a love letter for something like MDMA or LSD. The majority of love letters I have heard of are for anti anxiety drugs and viagra.

I think that no warrant can be issued for sending contraband by mail. Why do you think they do a controlled delivery? To get a case and proves against you.
But, police can get and knock on your door. And they hope to let them inside the house. Maybe then after if they see or hear something they can get reasonable doubt so judge can sign search warrant. (never do that!!)
Many people could be in danger of some vandetta (dealer hate some1 and send him a package with drugs) if search warrant would be issued so easy.

I know of cases in USA and Australia where interception of single package led to raid.

Erm, Scotland is part of the UK last time i checked. And UK DOES NOT get warrents over 1g of class A!!! They dont bother with upto like 1 KG+ easy. All you get in uk is a letter off customs saying your parcel as been ceased and blah blah blah. Easy fix, Use a new name/address and carry on. And canada, Are you mental. Even NZ and australia don't do this. This country as gotta be something like North Korea/bahrain/syria  or somesort of oppressed country.

I assure you that if you have much less than 1KG intercepted you will be raided in the UK. I know someone in Australia who had fairly close to personal use amounts intercepted and he had no CD, but rather woke up to LE pointing guns at him and his wife after smashing his door down.

If they only followed through on 1kg packs dealers would just split them up into 100 gram packs. Use some logic for fucks sake.

god the denialism in this thread is epic. I guess whatever helps people sleep at night.

Many people could be in danger of some vandetta (dealer hate some1 and send him a package with drugs) if search warrant would be issued so easy.

Yes this is a serious risk. Do you think a hostage call from a specific phone number is not enough to get a SWAT team sent to the address simply because someone could be spoofing the number? Look up Swatting.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swatting

How about if feds see your IP address trading CP? Think that isn't enough for a warrant to raid you simply because someone could be using your open WiFi or could have hacked your machine and be  using it as an exit proxy? Innocent people get raided over CP all the time in situations like this.

Speed up the rate at which the feds can trace you. It is highly dangerous to use this configuration. First of all using 8 entry guards sticks out since nobody uses 8 entry guards. Second of all using 8 entry guards greatly increases the probability that one of them is owned by an attacker, since normally you only pick 3 entry guards. Third of all running as a relay degrades anonymity of the client in multiple ways.  Fourth of all you really don't want to fuck with your torrc unless you *really* know what you are doing (OP does not), because making even slight changes to it can totally degrade your anonymity (as in this case). Tor gives you anonymity by letting you blend in with others, changing your configuration makes your Tor behave in ways that are different from others and can make you stick out from the crowd.

Take your noobtips and shove them .

CP traders don't have nearly as much to worry about compared to drug traders, I agreed with you.

The boston globe never said SR had CP on it. They said Tor has CP on it.