How darknet market users learned to worry more and love PGP: Analysis of security advice on darknet marketplaces

TL;DR

This paper analyzes security advice on darknet marketplaces, revealing a mix of valid security tips and paranoid threat models, with a focus on privacy tools often dismissed by mainstream users.

Contribution

It provides a detailed survey of security advice on darknet markets, highlighting the misconceptions and practical challenges faced by users.

Findings

Valid security advice is mixed with paranoid threat models.

Users rely on privacy tools often dismissed by mainstream.

Security advice reflects a complex understanding of threats.

Abstract

Darknet marketplaces, accessible through, Tor are where users can buy illicit goods, and learn to hide from law enforcement. We surveyed the advice on these markets and found valid security advice mixed up with paranoid threat models and a reliance on privacy tools dismissed as unusable by the mainstream.