Silk Road forums

Discussion => Silk Road discussion => Topic started by: Tony77 on November 12, 2012, 10:29 pm

Title: One reason for explosion in growth
Post by: Tony77 on November 12, 2012, 10:29 pm
I am sure many are familiar with this... but its good to inform the ones who don't. There is a clearnet service that I personally only noticed as of recently (last two weeks or so ) that allows anyone on the clearnet to access SR. Obviously this allows anyone who has access to a computer and basic knowledge of google to be able to access the site... Putting "silkroad marketplace" into google will provide you with the clearnet URL to access the site as the top result. Instead of ".onion" the site uses an"onion.to"url, which basically routes through a computer utilizing Tor. It would be incredibly stupid for anyone making purchases or vending to use that link because it is highly likely that the traffic through that link is being logged... But none the less it allows any one who searches "buy drugs online" to only have to click a few links until they are brought to the main page without ever having knowledge of Tor or bitcoin. My worry is that this will bring an explosion in people just going to the site to "check it out" without ever buying anything. This would put an unnecessary load on our beloved SR's servers. I feel that the providers of "onion.to" are a disgrace to the DeepWeb and are doing more harm then good by completely defeating the point of the Tor browser. What are your guys opinions of "onion.to", and maybe someone can inform us about how long this service has been active?
Title: Re: One reason for explosion in growth
Post by: CrazyBart on November 12, 2012, 10:31 pm
it takes only a few clicks to download the tor bundle too.

I dont think .to sites are a problem, just dont log in or buy anything through it
Title: Re: One reason for explosion in growth
Post by: brightWhitelight on November 12, 2012, 10:34 pm
Another reason for growth: people really like drugs.
Title: Re: One reason for explosion in growth
Post by: Tony77 on November 12, 2012, 10:36 pm
it takes only a few clicks to download the tor bundle too.

I dont think .to sites are a problem, just dont log in or buy anything through it

True, but I think understanding there is a difference between Tor and clearnet weeds out a bit of kiddies.
Title: Re: One reason for explosion in growth
Post by: g7455mk2 on November 12, 2012, 10:41 pm
Another reason for growth: people really like drugs.

There's really no reason for anyone to wonder why there was "explosive growth."

Any Media Coverage + It Works + People Like Drugs = Mystery Solved.
Title: Re: One reason for explosion in growth
Post by: ukmonkey on November 13, 2012, 12:18 am
I dont think .to sites are a problem, just dont log in or buy anything through it

I'd strongly disagree with that. If you're visiting SR through an onion.to proxy, your ISP can see exactly what you're up to.

In this age of constant surveillance it's prudent to avoid even transmitting the words 'Silk Road' through your home 'net connection, never mind actively browsing it.

It's safest to assume that every byte you send has the potential of being monitored. And the last thing you need is the authorities knowing you regularly visit a site whose sole purpose is buying illegal drugs online.

I've had a few online conversations (over clearnet) about Silk Road, but even then always through encrypted systems like Crypto.cat or Privnote.

And if someone on Facebook happens to message me asking for instructions on how to get here (which has happened a lot now that everyone's noticed I'm consuming rare and exciting drugs) I'll tell them to STFU until I can speak with them face-to-face or over an encrypted channel.

TL;DR: You should avoid letting your ISP know you're even AWARE of SR's existence, and onion.to proxies accomplish exactly the opposite
Title: Re: One reason for explosion in growth
Post by: harlock on November 13, 2012, 02:31 am
I dont think .to sites are a problem, just dont log in or buy anything through it

I'd strongly disagree with that. If you're visiting SR through an onion.to proxy, your ISP can see exactly what you're up to.

In this age of constant surveillance it's prudent to avoid even transmitting the words 'Silk Road' through your home 'net connection, never mind actively browsing it.

It's safest to assume that every byte you send has the potential of being monitored. And the last thing you need is the authorities knowing you regularly visit a site whose sole purpose is buying illegal drugs online.

I've had a few online conversations (over clearnet) about Silk Road, but even then always through encrypted systems like Crypto.cat or Privnote.

And if someone on Facebook happens to message me asking for instructions on how to get here (which has happened a lot now that everyone's noticed I'm consuming rare and exciting drugs) I'll tell them to STFU until I can speak with them face-to-face or over an encrypted channel.

TL;DR: You should avoid letting your ISP know you're even AWARE of SR's existence, and onion.to proxies accomplish exactly the opposite

I definitely agree.  And I know that I should be more careful than I have been thus far, but mental fortitude has never been my strongest suit.

But to address the broader concern; I'm no expert, but it seems to me that it should be relatively elementary to block the traffic from a clearnet relaying node.  Or perhaps, to follow our principles more accurately, to have the traffic redirected to an informational warning page.
Title: Re: One reason for explosion in growth
Post by: broken string on November 13, 2012, 03:33 am
Another reason for growth: people really like drugs.
Quote from: A Hipster
Drugs? I just use SR to buy my resealable bags; they're only $0.03 a pop!