Silk Road forums

Discussion => Silk Road discussion => Topic started by: weather420 on October 05, 2013, 08:00 pm

Title: Silk Road supporters are trolling the FBI with Bitcoin
Post by: weather420 on October 05, 2013, 08:00 pm
Silk Road supporters are trolling the FBI with Bitcoin
By Andrew Couts 

 http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/silk-road-fbi-bitcoin-trolls/#ixzz2gsbHbICV


In the course of taking down online drug supermarket Silk Road and arresting its alleged founder once known only as “Dread Pirate Roberts,” the Federal Bureau of Investigation also laid stake to history’s largest seizure of Bitcoin, the anonymous digital currency used by Silk Road customers to purchase drugs and other illicit goods. But now the Bitcoin community is fighting back in its own pesky way.

Early on Friday, a member of Reddit’s Bitcoin community shared a link to the FBI’s public Bitcoin address to which some 27,000 Bitcoin – about $3.75 million, at current exchange rates – seized from Silk Road’s bank were deposited over the past few days. Soon after, Bitcoin users began sending the FBI small fractions of Bitcoin along with public comments to the federal law enforcement agency.

A number of the comments include links to news articles about the Central Intelligence Agency supporting the family of drug lords in Afghanistan or helping Contras traffic cocaine in the U.S. A few railed against drug prohibition, while others simply made fart jokes. Some have expressed support for Ross William Ulbricht, the 29-year-old accused of running Silk Road and hiring hitmen to kill two people. And a handful have even used the opportunity to promote their causes and small businesses.

“Tired of donut-eating stereotypes? Buy baklava,” wrote one user, who included a link to George’s Famous Baklava, where customers can order the rich confection online using Bitcoin.
The first prank message sent to the FBI’s Bitcoin address was spelled out in the amount of Bitcoin (BTC) sent – 0.1337 BTC, which reads “leet” in the age-old hacker language leetspeak. Another clever entry spelled 0.08008, which any third grader can decipher.

FBI agents began transferring Bitcoin in amounts as large as 1,000 BTC on October 2, the day the agency seized Silk Road. At the time of this writing, the FBI’s Bitcoin address has received 122 transactions, nearly 30 of which apparently come from pranksters.

One question many in the Silk Road community have asked is whether the FBI would return the Bitcoin they lost in the raid. But an agency spokeswoman, speaking with Forbes, quickly laughed off the idea.

“There is not likely to be retribution in this case,” she said. “If they’re knowingly buying something illegal, they can’t get their money back.”

Silk Road is said to have collected a total revenue of 9.5 million Bitcoin ($1.2 billion) over its more than two years of operation – a massive number, considering that, as Quartz reports, there are only 11.5 million Bitcoin in existence. Of that 9.5 million BTC, Ulbrict allegedly pocketed as much as $80 million worth in Bitcoin as commission.

The FBI says it expects to liquidate its Bitcoin holdings once the case against Silk Road and Ulbricht has concluded.

Title: Re: Silk Road supporters are trolling the FBI with Bitcoin
Post by: Magic Man on October 05, 2013, 08:06 pm
Too funny, some of the comments made were actually really intelligent, hopefully they open their eyes.
Title: Re: Silk Road supporters are trolling the FBI with Bitcoin
Post by: railroadbill on October 05, 2013, 08:09 pm
Where did the other $76m go?
Title: Re: Silk Road supporters are trolling the FBI with Bitcoin
Post by: Magic Man on October 05, 2013, 08:17 pm
I believe the 80mil figure was just what they were saying he made since the creation of SR.
So you can probably be sure the other 70mil is stashed away.
Title: Re: Silk Road supporters are trolling the FBI with Bitcoin
Post by: Rotaluc on October 05, 2013, 11:40 pm
I don't feel like wasting even a penny on them, but otherwise I would give them 0,045540135 coins.

Hint: second 4 is an upside-down-calculator 4..

"At the time of this writing, the FBI’s Bitcoin address has received 122 transactions, nearly 30 of which apparently come from pranksters."
I don't get it. The FBI got 90+ generous donations from the public? Wth?
Title: Re: Silk Road supporters are trolling the FBI with Bitcoin
Post by: unbiased on October 06, 2013, 01:48 am
I was going to make a quip about their plans to "liquify" the account.  Maybe something about investing in Western Union or something.  But this actually brings up a more interesting thought.

If they liquify it, could they crash the exchange rate?

If they liquify it, does that lend credibility to it?
Title: Re: Silk Road supporters are trolling the FBI with Bitcoin
Post by: hypnotick on October 06, 2013, 02:00 am
Well, if people keep sending the FBI all these microtransactions then the transaction fee for them to transfer those coins will continue to increase. 
Title: Re: Silk Road supporters are trolling the FBI with Bitcoin
Post by: flwrchlds9 on October 06, 2013, 04:24 am
Quote
“There is not likely to be retribution in this case,” she said. “If they’re knowingly buying something illegal, they can’t get their money back.”

What if they knowingly were buying something LEGAL or knowingly buying something that was LEGAL in the country or state they reside in?

Forfeiting the coins under civil forfeiture, a US civil law. How does that apply to persons outside the USA and not USA citizens? The market and server not was in USA. Legal problems look very foggy?

 
Title: Re: Silk Road supporters are trolling the FBI with Bitcoin
Post by: Cornelius23 on October 06, 2013, 05:32 pm
Quote
“There is not likely to be retribution in this case,” she said. “If they’re knowingly buying something illegal, they can’t get their money back.”
What if they knowingly were buying something LEGAL or knowingly buying something that was LEGAL in the country or state they reside in?

Yes. As discussed in another thread, many vendors were selling perfectly legal services (such as copywriting) and the coins in my account were due to be donated to the work of a Spanish Doctor.
Title: Re: Silk Road supporters are trolling the FBI with Bitcoin
Post by: dr.dexter on October 06, 2013, 06:45 pm
Too funny, some of the comments made were actually really intelligent, hopefully they open their eyes.

oh yeah! ....but they know that they are criminals in FBI-Suits ! :D