“Dark Web News” Discontinued in Fear of FBI and Europol Arrests

• "Dark Web News" is taking themselves offline, fearing the FBI and Europol may be closing in.
• The website was mainly offering information and news about dark web marketplaces.
• No matter how many major darknet websites closed, new ones have already taken their place.

The latest dark web crackdown success of the FBI, Interpol, Europol, and local police agencies in multiple countries in Europe, North and South America have definitely caused a heightened level of fear for the people who are involved in the operation of relevant websites. As we saw a couple of days ago, even websites that offered news around darknet marketplaces weren’t left out of the FBI’s crosshair, as these platforms are often acting as business affiliates for the markets, posting links and promoting their illicit offerings.

Fearing they may also get caught soon, the operators of the “Dark Web News” portal, dedicated to bringing the latest news about TOR, hidden marketplaces and everything related to the dark web have voluntarily seized operation. The website is down, and there’s no notice of seizure by the FBI, so the admins have just decided to stop.

https://twitter.com/darkwebnews/status/1126392580881534976

Does this mean that Dark Web News was also doing business with dark web marketplaces, promoting links and driving traffic towards them? While the website had links to marketplaces indicating their current status, it was mostly focused on news, so maybe this move was just an overly cautious one? The website also offered complete guides on how to access dark web black markets and a comprehensive list of the best of them. However, they did point out the fact that they are not in any way endorsing these marketplaces, and are providing these lists for reference only.

With major marketplaces taken down by the FBI last month, and the others fearing that the law is closing in, one would think that the dark web has taken a blow, but where there is demand, there will always be offering. No matter how many marketplaces will be closed and how many people will be tracked down and arrested, there will always be drugs and weapons for sale in the darknet, as long as our society remains vastly unchanged. According to Wired, already, Empire Market and Nightmare Market list many thousands of drug offerings, and a Reddit-like forum site called Dread has already taken the baton from DeepDotWeb, allowing users to discuss which marketplaces are reliable.

What do you think about the FBI’s war against darknet marketplaces? Will, we ever see the situation fundamentally changed, or is this an endless perpetual cycle? Let us know of your opinion in the comments section below, and don’t forget that you can do the same on our socials, on Facebook and Twitter.