Silk Road is back! And so are the rising bitcoins.

lux · 11-10-2013, 05:03 PM

So I wrote a long post but then the tab closed and it didn't save a draft. Have a news article.

The Guardian Wrote:Silk Road, the online drugs marketplace which was shut down by the FBI in October, has been resurrected by a group of the site’s former moderators and users.

Dubbed Silk Road 2.0, the new site taunts the authorities from the start with a login page that features a pastiche of the FBI’s seizure notice.

The last two words in the warning “this hidden site has been seized” crossed out, and a stamp reading “this site has risen again” placed above.

Once logged in, users are greeted with a manifesto written by the site’s new operator, who goes by the pseudonym DPR or Dread Pirate Roberts - the same name as the previous two site administrators.

“Welcome back to freedom. It took the FBI two and a half years to do what they did,” wrote the new DPR. “Divide, conquer and eliminate was their strategy … but four weeks of temporary silence is all they got. And as our resilient community bounces back even stronger than ever before, never forget that they can only ever seize assets – they can never arrest our spirit, our ideas or our passion, unless we let them.”

Some changes have been made to the old site, including security measures which DPR claimed will ensure that “in the event of Silk Road’s demise once more, no member will lose their coins,” but on the whole the new site attempts to present a familiar face to users.

Even so, some fans of the old Silk Road are cautious. “Personally I'm going to sit back, wait patiently and see what happens,” said one user on the Silk Road subforum on Reddit.

“I do not mean to be a party pooper but I just hope this site isnt a scam or [law enforcement] ... I won’t be ordering till I see whats up with SR2.0 in the upcoming months, something tells me not to be so quick to jump on board,” said another user on the Silk Road 2.0 forums.

In its first day, the site listed 600 new items for sale in its “drugs” category, as well as other products including forged documents, counterfeit goods and a $3,500 pill maker.

Just like the site’s users, DPR appears aware that the launch of Silk Road 2.0 catapaults it into the spotlight.

“Without a doubt, the relaunch of our beloved marketplace will create a ripple throughout the world’s various media channels, and not all of these channels will see our cause as positive. You don’t need telling that there are very powerful media outlets controlled by various world governments, who will seek to muddy our name and reputation.”

Despite its pedigree, Silk Road 2.0 can’t assume it will reclaim its position as the go-to site for online black market goods.

Competitor sites like Black Market Reloaded have used the four-week absence of the site to consolidate their position. Black Market Reloaded offers 6,500 drug items for sale - ten times the number available on Silk Road 2.0.