Darknet Marketplaces Are Moving from Tor to I2P

Libertas Market Becomes the First to Fully Switch to I2P

Law enforcement’s success in de-anonymizing Tor users has forced cybercriminals to seek alternative platforms for their activities. According to ZDNet, at least one underground marketplace has already migrated from Tor to the Invisible Internet Project (I2P).

Libertas Market, a site selling illegal goods, has become the first underground marketplace to completely abandon Tor in favor of I2P. “The Tor network is not suitable for hidden services due to vulnerabilities that allow denial-of-service attacks. These vulnerabilities enable law enforcement to determine which hidden services are allowed to operate and whether they are legal,” the site’s administration stated on their now-closed Tor site.

Users Have Long Requested the Switch

Users of underground marketplaces had been urging a move away from Tor long before Libertas Market finally made the switch. Frustrated by endless DDoS attacks and constant service outages, users spent months asking the administrators of Dream Market, Wall Street Market, Cryptonia, and Empire Market to transition to I2P.

Previous Attempts to Migrate to I2P

Attempts to move from Tor to I2P had been made before, but without success. After a wave of shutdowns of major darknet marketplaces like AlphaBay, Hansa Market, and RAMP in the summer of 2017, concerned users tried to persuade other platforms to migrate to I2P, but their efforts were unsuccessful.

What Is I2P?

I2P is free software that enables the creation of an anonymous network operating on top of the internet. The I2P network is an overlay network that is resilient, anonymous, and decentralized. Any service can be deployed within the I2P network while maintaining server anonymity.