I've started this idea by looking at the current tools and resources available, and then coming to conclusions of the strengths and weaknesses of the current system and how they can be more properly applied. With that said, I do not personally plan to execute this idea. Im sure that some will like the thought process and some will not. Some will balk, and some will roll this idea around and make it workable. I'm sure that there are holes and pieces that I have not thought of, and that is why I throw the concept to the community rather than undertake such a task myself.
To make this idea work, we are going to have to let go of some long standing concepts used in the various market places. The goal is to hide in plain site, have expiring data, weed out the inept, and continuously stay ahead of LE attempts to sack the user base. To do this, we are going to have to quit relying on TOR and switch to a more time proven and decentralized distribution system. Less responsibility will be placed on the Admin, more responsibility will be placed on the Vendor, and only competent customers will gain access. Lets start with the weaknesses I've identified:
Centralization: Many markets have fallen due to having to host their site on a server. Once the server is seized, everything on it becomes evidence. This is a critical flaw in the concept and needs to go away immediately.
TOR: It has served its purpose, but there is a lot of info out there indicating that it is no longer secure. While it will continue to serve in some aspects, we cannot continue to rely on it as heavily as we have.
Escrow: I know a lot of people will throw their hands up right here and not read any further. But bear with me here; In order to have escrow, someone has to moderate it and make decisions. That person is a weak link. While Muli-Sig is available, it is too complex for the average customer. Until it becomes easy to use, it is not a viable solution. There are some solutions however...read on.
BTC: Its the cornerstone of DN purchases and will without a doubt play a large role in future currency. However, as it becomes more popular, it will inevitably be regulated just like any other currency. We need more options.
Inept User Base: It is currently WAY to easy for someone to stumble onto TOR and log onto a DNM. No knowledge of PGP or Cryptocurrency is required. Sensitive info is passed around and incriminating evidence is recorded and documented.
And now lets look at some of the stronger tools that are already available that can help build a stronger system:
P2P Networking: Want to see a system that has shown incredible resilience? How about The Pirate Bay or any other Torrent tracker? How long has The Establishment been trying to kill that system? Strength in numbers and no specific target to attack. We can all agree that that system isn't going anywhere soon.
TOR: While its beginning to show its flaws, it definitely still has its purpose, and will be around for a long time to come. But hosting centralized markets is definitely not one of its strong suits.
Review Sites: To an extent Reddit and Grams both serve this purpose. However it needs to be more detailed and have a simpler interface. We need multiple sites that share information to collect useful review data on Vendors.
Block chain Technology: There is no doubt in my mind that this is the future of currency. However we cannot continue to rely on a single currency. There are many options for cryptocurrency out there, and for markets to restrict all sales to a single option stifles innovation. Free trade is a major component of any marketing system. The Vendor needs to have the freedom to choose the method of payment they accept.
PGP Encryption: This is still the gold standard for privacy. It is easy to use, and utilizes very strong encryption. While it is currently underused and has more capability than the average person uses/needs it will play a big part in my market idea. PGP signatures, and expiring data are powerful tools.
And now I would like to put the items described above together into a new model for a market. I like to call it "The Freedom News" (TFN). And here are the responsibilities and items we need to do to make it work....
The responsibility of the Vendor: The Vendor needs to fill in a basic template for their product listings with pricing included, acceptable payment methods, and acceptable 3rd party escrow agents. (Independent escrow including multi-sig, is currently available on the DN, but is not a popular option.)They will provide new contact info and a new one month expiring PGP public key for each edition. The contact info can be an Email address, Bit-message....whatever. But it has to be a new one every month. The data needs to be small in size, basic, and simple. Once per month a new template will be submitted to The Editor.
The responsibility of the Admin; I like to call that person The Editor. The Editors job is to create multiple TOR hidden service pages. Not full sites, just single pages. They collect a fee from the Vendors and from the customers for compensation to do this. There are no percentages collected in this market, because sales are not tracked. The Editor gets a flat fee to produce a product. TFN gets a new edition once per month. But is available in one week increments to the customer. When they receive a listing from a vendor, they verify the PGP signature to be sure that it is in fact the stated Vendor and not someone impersonating another. They will verify that the supplied contact info is not the same as the previous months, and that there is a new PGP public key supplied with an appropriate expiry date. The Editor will then collect various news articles from around the world and put them in a Torrent file. This file will contain one file that is encrypted with an expiring key. The rest of the articles are there primarily to provide plausible deniability in the event someone possessing the file is caught with it. The file is then released into the wild. A new file will be released every week, with a new 7 day expiring Public Key. Every week, the TFN file will receive a new and obscure Torrent name.
The responsibility of the customer: In order for a customer to gain access to TFN, they will need to go through some checks and procedures. By default this process will ensure security and a certain amount of OPSEC Proficiency. The customer will go to the TOR Hidden service page, here they will be charged 0.001 BTC to receive the current Torrent File name and the PGP key needed to unlock the encrypted file. See what just happened there? We now only have customers that understand BTC, How to access Hidden Services, and are PGP proficient. The customer will then contact their individual vendors to make their desired purchase. Sales reviews are especially important so customers would need to be provided a link to the Vendor review page.
Following the idea posted above, we now have a decentralized, muli tcurrency, market with optional escrow, and rotating sales data that expires on a regular basis. Any LE effort would need to be completed within a single month or all viability of their evidence destroys itself. With so many Torrent Files available, it would be a significant chore just to pick out the current file before the data expired.
Discuss....
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