Silk Road forums

Discussion => Off topic => Topic started by: Hassan I Sabbah on March 17, 2012, 09:37 pm

Title: Is 'Drugs Forum' a "honey trap" for LE?
Post by: Hassan I Sabbah on March 17, 2012, 09:37 pm
 I read an interesting comment from SR Forum user Pine (thanks!) who suggested that the popular drug user's site 'Drug Forum' might be a 'honey trap' for LE. Having acquired a justifiable paranoia over the last 40 years as an admitted drug fiend i think this is something worth considering. Although they forbid promotion of any criminal activity and encourage 3rd person description of drug experiences e.g. "My pony did Ketamine last night.." (yeah...right) this is hardly a forum which ensures user security: you cannot use this site with TOR which is a major red flag with me.The reason given: to prevent trolls. Give me a break. This SR Forum enables TOR and as a community with moderation we know how to identify and deal effectively with troll like behavior. Anyone else wanna share their opinions about the 'Drugs Forum' site? Thanks.


Title: Re: Is 'Drugs Forum' a "honey trap" for LE?
Post by: roflcoptr10 on March 17, 2012, 10:59 pm
Does an online message constitute reasonable grounds for a warrant/investigation? One could as well be lying or indeed describing "his friend's" activities! And it then would turn out to be quite a waste of tax dollars. Besides, there is no discussion of sources so no real way to make a bust, just catching a few users. The only thing they could do, as I see it, is to try and block the whole website as perhaps being "harmful for the public" or smth like that.

edit: Oh yeh! I do think there's some good info there, used it quite a lot before discovering this place!  :D
Title: Re: Is 'Drugs Forum' a "honey trap" for LE?
Post by: Hassan I Sabbah on March 18, 2012, 04:57 am
True enough: the 'Drug Forum' does provide a lot of good advice re: harm reduction, or sharing various subjective drug experiences (this was something William James did in his pragmatist classic "The variety's of religious experience"). I suppose I just got a case of small town paranoia... where the cops have nothing better to do than spy on small time users. Mind you: the meth doesn't help much! hahaha.  :o
Title: Re: Is 'Drugs Forum' a "honey trap" for LE?
Post by: randomovdbuser on March 18, 2012, 10:49 am
yes. Erowid is a LE trap too :S
like the hive was. And rhodium before it. An lycaeum before that. Let's not forget, the entire internet had a gvnmt origin.
It's all been one big honey trap, the last twenty years. Google and facebook are just LE gathering as much intel as possible.
Damn. There goes my tinfoil hat. They must have found some new death ray kind of thing. It usually stays on my head without problems :-)
Title: Re: Is 'Drugs Forum' a "honey trap" for LE?
Post by: opi on March 18, 2012, 09:50 pm
I have met one user on the drug forums f2f, this was after 'watching' the guy for a couple days and seeing his posts(talking about actual IV drug use, suboxone etc. etc. basically shit that only a IV (addicted)user would know, or feel comfortable talking about) So everyone is not a LEO.....
Title: Re: Is 'Drugs Forum' a "honey trap" for LE?
Post by: j0blo on March 18, 2012, 10:44 pm
Honestly, I avoid drugs-forum just because the people on there are pretty stuck up.  They take "harm reduction" and "avoiding incrimination" to the extreme so that it becomes kind of pointless to even post there.
Title: Re: Is 'Drugs Forum' a "honey trap" for LE?
Post by: SRTRAVLER on March 19, 2012, 12:00 am
some forums are more free than others
Title: Re: Is 'Drugs Forum' a "honey trap" for LE?
Post by: randomovdbuser on March 19, 2012, 07:14 pm
indeed. And some modern countries are more free than others.
Glad I'm not part of the US. On a side note, hope my ESTA clears and your LEO's haven't caught up with me :P
Title: Re: Is 'Drugs Forum' a "honey trap" for LE?
Post by: QTC on March 20, 2012, 02:06 am
I read an interesting comment from SR Forum user Pine (thanks!) who suggested that the popular drug user's site 'Drug Forum' might be a 'honey trap' for LE.
Pine was actually talking about Drug Zone Forum, which was pwnt by the FBI.
Title: Re: Is 'Drugs Forum' a "honey trap" for LE?
Post by: bananatinpots on March 20, 2012, 08:46 am
One could make an argument that more noise interfering with the signals would discourage LE, though I don't see the point.

LE should be keeping tabs on most forums related to illegal activity, but it is kind of doubtful that online chit chat could provide much or any actionable intelligence.  Even with the ability to identify a users geographical location is it likely that if you go on some forum (controlled by feds or whatever) and say that your pony ships tons of heroin that you are believable.

LE isn't that interested in users, love letters & lack of resources make this obvious, while anyone posting about there drug dealing escapades on insecure forums is an idiot or a liar, LE don't need to be paying much attention because the idiots will fuck themselves without the forums anyway.

+1 respect to Pine, a very enlightened member of SR.
Title: Re: Is 'Drugs Forum' a "honey trap" for LE?
Post by: Krazys on March 20, 2012, 02:54 pm
IV drug use, suboxone etc. etc. basically shit that only a IV (addicted)user would know, or feel comfortable talking about
Because a LEO would never do that. ::)
Title: Re: Is 'Drugs Forum' a "honey trap" for LE?
Post by: cdaley on March 21, 2012, 07:47 pm
I've been an on and off active member of Drugs-Forum for about 5 years. In that time I've gotten to know Alpha and some of the crew there quite well. Because of this I feel comfortable saying that it's not a 'honey trap' for LE. Why would it be? The only reason Drugs-Forum has been around for so long on the clearnet and has the community that it does are the rules. No dealing or discussion about it (even via PM!), restrictions on self-incrimination and price/source discussion. LE has much better things to do than comb through a MASSIVE forum with a recovery/harm-reduction focus. They couldn't care if some guy is dope sick; there's really not much of interest to LE on Drugs-Forum. LE wants dealers, not users.

I will admit it's sometimes unwelcoming to newbies that don't know the rules, but follow the rules, make quality posts and you'll be accepted as part of the community. Overall I think it's a good and trusted site.

Note- they have banned all discussion of SR on there, and I think it's a good thing! Nothing wrong with driving a huge wedge between clearnet and darknet info and identities.