Finding the Hidden Wiki scandals? Read this article and know about the 12 most horrifying scandals found on the dark web.
Hidden Wiki Scandals Found on the Dark Web
The Hidden Wiki is a well-known doorway to the dark web and deep web. Both the dark web and deep web have been associated with numerous illegal activities, open discussion forums, whistleblower support platforms, research and education material, censored data, scandals, and controversies.
The dark web hosts shady activities like human trafficking, child pornography, red rooms, and many more. However, the scandals and controversies have shed light on the risks, consequences, and lessons that can be derived from navigating the hidden Wiki.
Here, we have shared a list of hidden wiki scandals and horrifying incidents related to the dark web.
1: Silk Road
The Silk Road is the famous dark web online marketplace associated with the hidden Wiki. It was created by Ross Ulbricht and was functioning between 2011 and 2013. In this scandalous marketplace, traders sold their products as they would on Amazon and eBay, allowing the trade of illegal goods and services, including drugs, guns, and other illicit kinds of stuff. It earns a revenue of over 9 million bitcoins (BTC).
However, the Silk Road scandal highlights the problems faced by law enforcement when attempting unlawful activities on the dark web. Ross Ulbricht was caught in 2013 by investigating systems and operational security mistakes on his part. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for making and operating the scandalous marketplace.
2: No Love Deep Web Reality Game
No Love Deep web reality Game is included in the list of disturbing hidden wiki scandals related to the dark web. Before “No Love Deep Web” was released, the avant-garde hip-hop trio Death Grips planned an unusual marketing strategy to promote their new album that piqued listeners’ interest. They introduced a treasure hunt alternate reality game (ARG) on the dark web in August 2012. It draws players into an intricate puzzle that make it difficult to distinguish between the actual world and the virtual one.
This game reminded the notorious deep web scavenger hunt Cicada 3301 puzzles, which were notorious for their complex layout and use of many encryption techniques. Numerous cryptographic encryption methods were used in Death Grips’ ARG to hide the hints, such as the Caesar cipher, QR codes, and Morse code. A wide range of skills was needed by participants in this treasure hunt to read messages. Also, participants must follow the band’s trail, as clues were carefully placed across multiple dark websites.
This sophisticated game was a promotional tool for “No Love Deep Web,” not an attempt to recruit for a covert group or a cybercrime scheme. In addition to creating excitement for their new album, Death Grips engaged their audience in a way that reflected the themes of subversion, technology, and paranoia found throughout the record. This novel strategy for album promotion made use of the enigmatic nature of the dark web to create a buzz of mystery and exclusivity around the release.
3: Evite Blackmailing
Evite is a massive social planning service platform that was hacked in 2019. In this hacking, millions of users’ data, including names, user names, email addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, and physical mailing addresses, was compromised.
The hackers did not release the data to the public; instead, they demanded $1,900 in Bitcoin (BT) from the Evite company. However, the company refused to pay, and the hackers started selling the data on the dark web markets. The hacker claims to be selling 10 million stolen records.
According to the Evite company, no Social Security numbers or payment data were compromised in the breach. Moreover, the company emailed customers, updating them about the data breach in addition to the steps they should take to protect their information.
4: Petter Scully
It is included in the most horrific hidden wiki scandals related to the dark web. Peter Gerard Scully, along with his girlfriend, Lovely Margallo, and their two partners, Alexander Lao and Maria Durotiya Chia, held and abused children in the city of Cagayan de Oro from 2011 to 2014. The victims included teenage girls, children, and toddlers.
Moreover, Peter Scully filmed the girls from needy families as he sexually abused, tortured and raped them. He would upload the videos on a dark web porn website called “No Limits Fun” and sell them for up to $10,000 per view.
Peter Gerard Scully was sentenced to 129 years in prison in the Philippines, being charged with 60 different offenses. The charges includes torture, murder, child abuse, human trafficking, child pornography, and rape. He did all these horrifying and monstrous acts, recorded and uploaded them on the dark web forum.
5: Freedom Hosting
Freedom Hosting is a popular hosting service on the dark web. It is known for facilitating the keeping of all of the illegal content online from various websites and making it available for distribution. This hosting service was created by resident Eric Eoin Marques. Eoin revenue no fewer than 8.5 million images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) available on the Dark Web.
In 2013, the Hidden Wiki scandals appeared when the FBI took down Freedom Hosting because a significant portion of this hosting service was associated with child pornography. However, Marques has been sentenced to 27 years in federal prison, and law enforcement took $155,000 from Marques and held it in custody.
6: Operation Onymous
The hidden wiki scandals also included operation Onymous. It appeared in 2014 when international law enforcement started Operation Onymous with European countries, including the United States of America. The purpose of this operation was to pull apart various Dark Web marketplaces intricate in illegal activities.
More than 400 prominent dark net marketplaces, including Silk Road 2.0, were seized. Operation Onymous led to the arrest of 17 individuals, operators of darknet websites, and the seizure of $1 million in Bitcoin (BTC), 180,000 Euros in cash, drugs, gold, and silver. However, authorities did not disclose the complete list of seized illegal websites. But it looks like almost 20 percent of total dark websites have been shut down in this operation.
The operation shows the purpose of law enforcement agencies to target and disrupt illegal activities on the dark web. Moreover, it highlighted the role of partnership and intelligence sharing among international agencies in fighting cybercrime.
7: Ashley Madison
The Ashley Madison data breach serves as a warning tale about the potential consequences of placing trust in online platforms with sensitive data. However, this scandal is not directly connected to the hidden Wiki.
A dating website, Ashley Madison, which caters to individuals looking for extramarital affairs, experienced a significant data breach that exposed the personal and bank data of 37 million users in 2015. 10 gigabytes of data, including credit card transactions, usernames, email addresses, and other documents, are in the downloadable cache and were published on the dark web server.
The data breach of the hidden wiki scandals incited worry regarding data security, privacy breaches, and the continuing effects on those obstructed by such breaches.
8: Child Exploitation Networks
Forums, websites, and peer-to-peer networks that are focused on producing, disseminating, and consuming child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) are examples of child exploitation networks. Strict access controls, such as invitation-only memberships, cryptocurrency payments, and the usage of encryption technology to preserve privacy and safeguard user identities, are frequently used by these platforms. Not only is the content shared on social networks against the law. But it also causes severe harm to children who have been sexually abused, prolonging their trauma and victimization.
The privacy-preserving anonymity aspects of the dark web pose serious obstacles to law enforcement organizations trying to break into and take down networks that exploit children. Nonetheless, a number of well-publicized achievements have resulted from global cooperation and advancements in digital forensics. Numerous victims have been rescued, and those involved in these networks have been identified and apprehended as a consequence of operations like Operation Delego and Operation Blackwrist.
Law enforcement agencies have used a range of strategies in these investigations. Such as hacking, undercover operations, and using court-approved network investigative methods (NITs) to get around anonymity safeguards.
9: Edward Snowden
Edward Snowden is an ex-CIA and NSA worker; his scandal broke in 2013 when he became famous for whistleblowing about the population’s mass surveillance by the government. He shared the documents and details about the PRISM investigation program on the dark web. Moreover, he also claimed that the US National Security Agency (NSA) was collecting the telephone records of tens of millions of United States Americans.
However, Snowden instantly run-away the US, and his passport was canceled while in transit through Russia, where he filed for political asylum. This has become his permanent residence. While his actions remain prickly, he shot the debate about mass surveillance. Moreover, it raised awareness of the potential abuse of government power and the lengths they can go to stop the public from finding out the data.
10: Operation DisrupTor
An unprecedented global law enforcement effort known as Operation DisrupTor aims to take down the networks that sell drugs, firearms, and other illegal products on the dark web.
The operation was the outcome of intensive coordination between the FBI, DEA, Europol, and other agencies from both Europe and the United States. Operation DisrupTor demonstrated the effectiveness of cross-border cooperative intelligence sharing and operational planning in identifying and disrupting internet criminal networks.
Operation DisrupTor had a tremendous impact, leading to the global apprehension of hundreds of suspects. Along with significant amounts of drugs and weapons, the operation also resulted in the confiscation of millions of dollars worth of cash and cryptocurrency. The operation disrupted the supply chains of illicit goods and services by targeting sellers and purchasers on different dark web marketplaces. It exposes the weaknesses of even the most covert online criminal operations.
Utilizing cutting-edge cyberinvestigation methods and tools to track down the real-life identities of dark web users was essential to the operation’s success. Notwithstanding the several levels of anonymity offered by Tor and encryption, law enforcement organizations took advantage of the digital breadcrumbs left by communications and transactions on the black web. By using data from earlier operations and breaking into internet criminal communities, this meticulous detective work was enhanced.
11: The Hitman Scams on the Dark Web
The dark web is a hub of websites that offer hire hitman services. Many people believe that they could hire a hitman for a heavy Bitcoin fee because of the status of the Dark Web. You will hear many stories about people allegedly hiring hitmen on the dark web and finding a fake hitman service with minimal effort.
There is even a fascinating Hidden wiki scandals of how a person hired a hitman on himself to have fun. Regrettably, most of these services are not genuine. However, the website’s admin is scamming them: no slaying is ever accomplished. The admin would dole out a hail of lies for why hits had been delayed, and keep the bitcoins and ghost him.
12: Operation Dark HunTor
An important worldwide law enforcement operation known as Operation Dark HunTor targeted unlawful activity on the dark web. The aim of this operation was the closer for selling drugs, guns, and other illicit goods and services.
The FBI, Europol, and law enforcement agencies from numerous nations, including Germany, Netherlands, and UK, among others, worked together to create Operation Dark HunTor. This operation followed the takedowns of other infamous websites like Berlusconi and DeepSea as part of a bigger assault on illicit online markets.
Operation Dark HunTor’s main goal was to upend the illicit dark web marketplace ecosystem and prosecute people in charge of creating and utilizing these platforms. Hundreds of people were arrested worldwide as a result of the operation, and millions of dollars worth of cash and cryptocurrency, and drugs, firearms, and other illicit commodities, were seized.
An important turning point in the continuing war against dark web illicit operations was reached with Operation Dark HunTor. It brought attention to how crucial and successful international collaboration is in combating cybercrime. The investigation also acted as a message to those who run illicit dark web marketplaces and their users, demonstrating that online anonymity is not always guaranteed. And the law enforcement is always improving the tactics to resist digital crime.