Silk Road's founder Ross Ulbricht has been sentenced to life imprisonment. But with copycat sites springing up, who will be the web's next victim? Many believe the internet was created as an open space, free from the shackles of government intervention, lawmakers and scrutiny. Whether you subscribe to that idea or not, last week lawmakers made the clearest signal yet that the internet is no longer a free-for-all.
Silk Road shutdown Silk Road, an eBay-like marketplace operating in what many refer to as the ‘dark web', was launched back in 2011. In 2013 it was shut down. Following a lengthy court battle, its 31-year-old founder, Ross Ulbricht will spend the rest of his life behind bars. His crime? Facilitating the illegal trade of drugs and other criminal activities. Critics point out that the creator of an open platform cannot be made responsible for every item available on sale. For years eBay and Craigslist have both battled against counterfeit goods with limited success. And is Twitter responsible for bomb and death threats sent by a minority of its millions of users? Never-ending game of cat and mouse Silk Road was undoubtedly a haven for illegal activity, but many are left asking what will be gained from jailing its founder. The marketplace's original site was shut down back in 2013 and within weeks copycat sites were launched. This is a pattern that will continue to happen in the future. Will the US authorities simply lock up every perpetrator? It looks unlikely, with America's jails full to bursting. Why this matters US authorities are unable to police every part of the web, especially those based in countries without extradition agreements. With countries like Icelandpositioning themselves as havens for the free and open web, this global game of cat and mouse will likely rage on. (- The Memo)
