Silk Road was an online black market and the first modern darknet market, launched in 2011 by its founder Ross Ulbricht under the pseudonym "Dread Pirate Roberts." As part of the dark web, Silk Road operated as a hidden service on the Tor network, allowing users to buy and sell products and services between each other anonymously with bitcoin. Ulbricht was later found guilty of operating and owning Silk Road, which sold illegal drugs and other unlawful goods and services beyond the reach of law enforcement. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and faces up to 100 years in prison .
The Silk Road case brought attention to the growing use of the dark web markets for illegal purposes. Since its shutdown, several other darknet markets have emerged as alternatives, each with their unique features and offerings.
If you are interested in learning more about the history and impact of Silk Road on the dark web, you can refer to the following sources:
