If i encrypt a message to someone else's public key, can only they open it?
When I order online, how would i go about contacting the source?
What's the best way to keep your bitcoins safe?
Do you recommend using the wallets provided on the websites, or having a separate one?
What information do you encrypt and how do you deliver it to the dealer?
Thanks
Only they can decrypt it.
Usually darknet markets have some kind of internal messaging system. On Silk Road, from a vendor's profile page, you would import their public PGP key which is listed in a box near the bottom. You would encrypt your message to them with their public key. You would then click on send message at the top and be redirected to a page with a message box. You would copy your encrypted message to the message box do the captcha and hit send. If you want them to be able to send encrypted messages back to you, you would enter your PGP public key into the PGP box on your profile page.
Here's a good PGP tutorial:
http://www.reddit.com/r/SilkRoad/comments/1qh266/guide_pgp_4_n00bz/
Keep a separate wallet with backups. If you can build a secure computer system up, then don't trust any online site with all of your bitcoins, especially tor hidden sites, since they can just disappear.
People usually just encrypt the addresses to where they want their items delivered, since that is the most critical information. If the darknet site is seized or is a honeypot or has informants, that is the info you are trying to protect. Other data that can't really link your account on the darknet to you in real life is not as important to encrypt, especially since it's can be pain for vendors if they have to copy and decrypt a bunch of non-critical messages.
That's a complicated question. If your not up to putting together a Linux based system to store your bitcoins, you may be better off leaving them at Coinbase or some other well trusted provider. Make sure that you set up some kind of two factor authentication system with them so when your Windows computer is hacked, you won't have your account emptied. Most peoples home machines running some version of Windows are terrible at protecting an electronic cash like bitcoin. Special purpose built viruses and other malware is stealing bitcoins from unsuspecting users right now. Computer security is one of the most difficult problems that bitcoin is facing.