DARKNET DIARIES
CRYPTO CRIME Illicit marketplaces hidden in the darknet are anything but dead—in fact, they’re thriving
Darknet market revenue
Share of all incoming transaction activity
$800,000,000
1.10%
$600,000,000
0.83%
$400,000,000
0.55%
$200,000,000
0.27%
$0
2013
2015
2017
2019
Darknet market share of all cryptocurrency received
Statistics Source: Chainalysis’ The 2020 State of Crypto Crime report
Darknet market revenue versus darknet market share of all cryptocurrency received by services, 2013-2019
Value received by darknet markets in millions of USD
Crypto crimes and online drug markets have disappeared from the headlines but haven’t disappeared from the darknet. Darknet market activity was more pronounced last year than ever before, according to a report by blockchain analysis company Chainalysis
0.00%
Darknet market transactions increased from 9 million transfers in 2018 to 12 million transfers in 2019
The Early Darknet Days October 2002
January 2008
January 2009
2010
February 2011
April 2012
The Tor network is deployed
The Tor Browser is announced
Bitcoin is released to the public
The Farmer’s Market becomes the first known darknet market on Tor
Ross Ulbricht launches the Silk Road
The Drug Enforcement Administraton closes the Farmer’s Market
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