After Silk Road, Agora seems to be rising to the list of black markets on the Dark Web. The difference, however, is that the emerging online market has “morality.” The Dark Web became known to the general public after the closure of the largest online drug market Silk Road and the arrest of the alleged founder of Dread Pirate Roberts. In addition to drugs, the online market also offered various other criminal services. Currently, after its closure by the FBI, Silk Road 2 is back in operation, offering the same services and products. However, Agora has entered the competition head-on and it seems that it is currently the largest online illegal bazaar.
According to a report recently released by the Digital Citizens Alliance,there are some 16,137 products for sale on this website, of which over 12,000 are drug listings.
The number exceeds Silk Road 2 listings by 200 products.
Adam Benson, communications director for the Digital Citizens Alliance, says Agora is growing extremely quickly. Four months ago it had just 7,400 product listings, half the number that Silk Road 2.0 was hosting at the time. After the Silk Road in February, when users’ bitcoins were stolen, Agora began to grow much faster.
The site also offers a wide range of services. For example, its users can sell weapons, drugs and more. However, Agora has some limitations. You won't find information about stolen credit cards, assassin services, weapons of mass destruction, poisons, child pornography, or murder videos
The site has grown largely due to the tactics used by its administrators, who only allowed new registrations with invitations sent by existing members. Today, it is the largest site on the black market. Agora's popularity has attracted a huge number of drug dealers and, of course, new customers.
Meanwhile, Ross Ulbricht, the alleged Silk Road who was arrested last year, continues to claim his innocence.
