Silk Road (website)

Silk Road was an online marketplace launched in 2011 that operated on the dark web using Tor, a network providing anonymity. It primarily facilitated the anonymous sale of illegal goods, notably drugs, by enabling buyers and sellers to communicate securely and privately. The site employed Bitcoin for transactions, making it difficult to trace money flows. Silk Road's existence raised significant legal and ethical concerns, leading to its shutdown by authorities in 2013 and the arrest of its founder. It is often cited as a pioneering example of illicit online marketplaces and highlighted issues related to digital privacy, law enforcement, and cybercrime.