Anne Jolis

The idiot economy – behind the ‘dark web’ cyber-crime busts

Spectator Money is out, with ideas on how to make it, spend it and even how to be seen spending it. Freddy Gray looks at the ‘social economy’ – think tax loopholes for financiers of politically favoured endeavours; while Camilla Swift peruses credit cards such as Kanye West’s ‘African American Express’ and the Dubai First Royale,

‘studded with diamonds. Bring it on, Sheikh Sugardaddy.’

Spare a thought, though, for the inconspicuous consumers – or at least, the wannabes. This segment took a hit last week in a joint operation dubbed ‘Onymous’, in which the FBI, Europol and friends arrested 17 alleged web-administrators and vendors and shuttered dozens of sites peddling child pornography, weapons, fake Danish passports, hacking services and so on.

‘Cash, drugs, gold and silver were seized’, Europol said, along with about $1 million worth of bitcoin currency. All in, the busts removed from market the approximate value of one-eighth the monthly traffic of the largest targeted site: Silk Road 2.0,

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