Share this article
Controversial Dark Web Bitcoin Bot Released from Custody
An automated shopping bot designed to make purchases on dark web marketplaces using bitcoin has been released after being confiscated.
By Stan Higgins
Updated Sep 11, 2021, 11:38 a.m. Published Apr 17, 2015, 7:22 p.m.
Make us preferred on Google
An automated shopping bot designed to make purchases on dark web marketplaces using bitcoin has been released after it was confiscated months ago.
The Random Darknet Shopper made headlines last fall after it purchased, among other items, a supply of ecstasy pills from the dark web marketplace Agora. The bot, as well as the items it purchased, was displayed during an exhibition at the Kunst Halle St Gallen art gallery in St. Gallen, Switzerland.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
According to a 15th January blog post, the bot was confiscated by the St Gallen public prosecutor’s office, which reportedly cited safety concerns. At the time, !Mediengruppe Bitnik, the team behind the bot, called the confiscation “an unjustified intervention into freedom of art.”
The group announced earlier this week in a new blog post that the bot had been released from custody.
!Mediengruppe Bitnik said that it no longer faced the threat of prosecution in connection with the shopping bot, writing:
“At the same time we also received the order for withdrawal of prosecution. In the order for withdrawal of prosecution the public prosecutor states that the possession of ecstasy was indeed a reasonable means for the purpose of sparking public debate about questions related to the exhibition.”
Apart from the ecstasy, which the group said was destroyed by law enforcement officials, all other purchased items were returned along with the bot.
Image via !Mediengruppe Bitnik
More For You
Pudgy Penguins is building a multi-vertical consumer IP platform — combining phygital products, games, NFTs and PENGU to monetize culture at scale.
What to know:
Pudgy Penguins is emerging as one of the strongest NFT-native brands of this cycle, shifting from speculative “digital luxury goods” into a multi-vertical consumer IP platform. Its strategy is to acquire users through mainstream channels first; toys, retail partnerships and viral media, then onboard them into Web3 through games, NFTs and the PENGU token.
The ecosystem now spans phygital products (> $13M retail sales and >1M units sold), games and experiences (Pudgy Party surpassed 500k downloads in two weeks), and a widely distributed token (airdropped to 6M+ wallets). While the market is currently pricing Pudgy at a premium relative to traditional IP peers, sustained success depends on execution across retail expansion, gaming adoption and deeper token utility.
More For You
Anthony Scaramucci-linked AVAX One tumbles 32% on uncertainty around shareholder sales
The firm, which holds AVAX tokens and related Avalanche ecosystem assets, registered roughly 74 million shares held by insiders.
What to know:
- Shares of AVAX One, a digital asset treasury firm advised by Anthony Scaramucci, fell more than 30% after the company filed to register up to nearly 74 million shares held by insiders as available for sale.
- The registration, which enables early investors to resell previously restricted stock, stoked fears of dilution.
- AVAX One's move reflects broader pressures on crypto-native public firms whose stocks trade at steep discounts to the value of their token holdings, though it remains unclear if or when the registered shares will be sold.
Top Stories
