What lies beneath the hidden depths of the internet

Fears about what is happening on the Dark Web has prompted a debate worldwide about whether ordinary users should be allowed to use bitcoin and encryption, writes Michael Moynihan

A SIGNIFICANT court case ended in the US this month with the conviction of Ross Ulbricht on drug trafficking, conspiracy, money laundering and computer hacking, but the usual elements associated with most of those crimes — car chases and backstreet deals — weren’t cited that much in the proceedings.

The clue is in the last charge, computer hacking. Terms such as Dark Wallet and TOR, Silk Road 2.0 and bitcoin, were used to explain Ulbricht’s activities in organising Silk Road, a drug market which existed online.