In English, Silk Road means silk road. It was one of the first great trade routes, that moved thousands of people for kilometers transporting products between cities, civilizations and empires. In 2013, to Ross Ulbricht It seemed like a good idea to call his website that way, where he set up an online store to buy anonymously. products generally illegalsuch as drugs and prohibited substances. His case had a full impact on the community of Bitcoin to this day in cryptocurrencies.
Ross Ulbricht, the creator of Silk Roadwas arrested on October 1, 2013 and this Sunday, as he turns a decade behind bars, it is time to remember his story and the impact that his case has left on the Bitcoin community.
Silk Road: the dark web maneuver that impacted the life of Bitcoin
Ulbricht was sentenced in 2015 to two life sentences, plus 40 years in prison, without the possibility of parole. And today he continues to cry out for justice for what he believes was an unjust sentence.
threw to Silk Road in February 2011 as reflection of his passion for individual freedom and privacy rights. Ulbricht said he created the website because, at the time, he believed that “people should have the right to buy and sell whatever they want, as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else.”
He was convinced that people should have “the freedom to make their own decisions, to pursue their own happiness, as they individually see fit.” So offered its users the opportunity to pay anonymously with bitcoin.
Millions of people used the site to buy items of all kinds, including drugs and illicit goods or services. When the authorities detected the illegal trade on the site, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) got involved and began investigating, until Ulbricht was finally arrested.
On Silk Road Users could buy and sell anonymously using the Tor network and payments in Bitcoin. At least in its beginnings, it prohibited any merchandise intended to “harm or defraud,” which left out, among other things, child pornography or weapons. Over time and whether Ulbricht sought it or not, Silk Road nevertheless ended up becoming a vast online black market.
They arrested him in October 2013in a public library in San Francisco, while Ulbricht He typed, hunched over his laptop. The only thing that worried the agents when they arrested him was that he could encrypt or destroy valuable information for the case.
However, it was never detected that Ulbricht will store, transport or have any contact with the items and services that were sold on Silk Road. However, his sentence is much longer than that of any of the drug sellers who traded through the platform.
Most received sentences of three to ten years, so today they should all be out of prison. While Ulbricht, unless a pardon is granted, he will spend the rest of his life in prison. However, his story highlights the potential of bitcoin, both as a tool of censorship resistance.
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Ulbricht and his Silk Road boosted Bitcoin adoption beyond the cypherpunk niches and became known as a useful monetary tool for online purchases. However, it also covered Bitcoin of an illegal and criminal image that would damage his reputation for several years, due to his constant association with illicit activities.
Who is Ross Ulbricht, the creator of Silk Road and the impact on Bitcoin
Ulbricht He is currently 38 years old. She was born in Austin, Texas. He had a model childhood. He was a Boy Scout. He went to high school, then to college University of Texas and graduated in Physics (2006) and in Pennsylvania State University obtained a master’s degree in materials science (2009).
When he finished his studies, he returned to Austin and tried his luck with trading, setting up a video game company and, later, an online store for buying and selling used books. His idea was to create an online store where you could buy anything anonymously.
Yes ok Silk Road It was successful, it was a short-lived success. The store went online in February 2011 and closed in October 2013. And the prize for Ulbricht There were two life sentences without the possibility of reviewing the sentence for at least 40 years. That and a fine of almost 184 million dollars. So he currently resides in the State Penitentiary of TucsonArizona.
Source: Ambito
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