FBI and European Authorities Shut Down DeepDotWeb Darknet News Site

The FBI, Europol, and law enforcement agencies from Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, and Brazil conducted a joint operation that resulted in the shutdown of DeepDotWeb, a website dedicated to darknet news and cataloging resources from the “dark side of the internet.” This guide to the darknet was updated daily, quickly reporting on the closure of various resources, their new addresses, exit scams, and other issues related to darknet marketplaces.

According to local media in Israel, two DeepDotWeb operators were arrested in Israel. Additional arrests were made in Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Brazil. However, the case was not just about news reporting. Investigators claim that the operators of DeepDotWeb received commissions for redirecting traffic to illegal darknet sites. The DeepDotWeb directory openly published links to all kinds of resources, including darknet marketplaces where weapons, drugs, malware, stolen information, pornography, and much more were bought and sold. So far, authorities have not specified the exact amount or nature of these “commissions.” According to journalists at TechCrunch, the site administrators earned millions of dollars from their catalog of .onion links.

It appears that the takedown of DeepDotWeb is just part of a larger campaign by authorities against darknet resources. For reference, at the end of last week, law enforcement agencies from several countries also shut down two major underground marketplaces: Wall Street Market and Valhalla (also known as Silkkitie).