The Business of Guns

Everything’s for Sale on the Internet

The history of Internet sales features a long history of illegal or semi-legal goods. In February of 2011, the famous online black market Silk Road (named after the historical trade route between China and Europe) launched its digital exchange platform, allowing users to purchase guns, drugs, stolen credit cards, forged documents, child pornography, and even murder-for-hire. This platform used Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency, since neither the buyer nor the seller could conduct business using credit card information. Federal authorities shut down the site two years later, but attempts to revive the illegal platform on a new server have persisted.

The history of Internet sales features a long history of illegal or semi-legal goods.

The Business of Guns

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