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Topic: Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht Sentenced to Life in Prison - page 16. (Read 50152 times)

hero member
Activity: 1582
Merit: 502
Lol, yeah that was one stupid mistake.
But still, to get life in prison for a crime like that is pretty abhorrent in my opinion.

The FBI made an example out of him. And also, it should be remembered that the judge (Kathleen Forrest) gave him a sentence which was even harsher than the one which was requested by the prosecution. And immediately afterwards, Kathleen Forrest began prosecuting people who commented against her on a blog site, regarding the sentence given to Ross.

How can she prosecute someone for commenting?
On what charge?

Do you have a source to that?
AGD
legendary
Activity: 2070
Merit: 1164
Keeper of the Private Key
I think it will certainly deter some people from thinking about starting a darknet market, but for most it wont stop them and there will always be people willing to take the risk.

It will deter some people from starting a darknet market and publishing their personal gmail account in relation to it.
Lol, yeah that was one stupid mistake.
But still, to get life in prison for a crime like that is pretty abhorrent in my opinion.

He made quite a few stupid mistakes, but that was one of the biggest and ultimately lead to his downfall. I agree the sentence was harsh but that's America for you.

Even Satoshi can't be aware about every 0-day around.

Yeah but you gotta hand it to him. His pretty good with OPSEC since he hasn't been doxxed yet.


True, but I don't think it's the difficult to protect yourself especially if you set out to do so straight from the beginning. Use fresh emails, usernames etcs and don't use your own internet connection. Get a wireless dongle and pay for it with cash and even if you're compromised somehow there's not much to be found.

OPSEC is also depending on WHO is looking for you. Hiding from some random hackers is easier than hiding from the NSA.
member
Activity: 64
Merit: 10
I think it will certainly deter some people from thinking about starting a darknet market, but for most it wont stop them and there will always be people willing to take the risk.

It will deter some people from starting a darknet market and publishing their personal gmail account in relation to it.
Lol, yeah that was one stupid mistake.
But still, to get life in prison for a crime like that is pretty abhorrent in my opinion.

He made quite a few stupid mistakes, but that was one of the biggest and ultimately lead to his downfall. I agree the sentence was harsh but that's America for you.

Even Satoshi can't be aware about every 0-day around.

Yeah but you gotta hand it to him. His pretty good with OPSEC since he hasn't been doxxed yet.


True, but I don't think it's the difficult to protect yourself especially if you set out to do so straight from the beginning. Use fresh emails, usernames etcs and don't use your own internet connection. Get a wireless dongle and pay for it with cash and even if you're compromised somehow there's not much to be found.
legendary
Activity: 3766
Merit: 1217
Lol, yeah that was one stupid mistake.
But still, to get life in prison for a crime like that is pretty abhorrent in my opinion.

The FBI made an example out of him. And also, it should be remembered that the judge (Kathleen Forrest) gave him a sentence which was even harsher than the one which was requested by the prosecution. And immediately afterwards, Kathleen Forrest began prosecuting people who commented against her on a blog site, regarding the sentence given to Ross.
legendary
Activity: 1792
Merit: 1283
I think it will certainly deter some people from thinking about starting a darknet market, but for most it wont stop them and there will always be people willing to take the risk.

It will deter some people from starting a darknet market and publishing their personal gmail account in relation to it.
Lol, yeah that was one stupid mistake.
But still, to get life in prison for a crime like that is pretty abhorrent in my opinion.
legendary
Activity: 1372
Merit: 1000
My feelings captured succinctly in this statement to the court by one Eugene V. Debs:

"Your Honor, years ago I recognized my kinship with all living beings, and I made up my mind that I was not one bit better than the meanest on earth. I said then, and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it, and while there is a criminal element I am of it, and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free."

Honestly though, I'm not selfless enough to serve a prison sentence like that for the sake of my family or anyone else. I don't know about Ross, but I've already experienced more than my fair share of suffering. Kudos to Ross if he can ride it out, but if I was him I'd find some way to kill myself rather than exist as walking dead in prison conditions. To be fair though, the thought of even one year in prison makes me feel that way, public school indoctrination alone was almost enough to drive me mad. Remember kids, there is nothing to fear in death. Only suffering is worth being afraid of.

Yours in compassion and solidarity,

World Citizen Beliathon


Public school was not that bad. But I wouldnt want to spend a day in prison let alone years let alone life. I couldn't do it. I mean he was pretty young and everyone does stupid things when they were young so this sentence is rediculous. He was just trying to make money. When you think of people starting wars filled with death it's rediculous.
This world is hell
hero member
Activity: 687
Merit: 500
Even Satoshi can't be aware about every 0-day around.

Yeah but you gotta hand it to him. His pretty good with OPSEC since he hasn't been doxxed yet.
AGD
legendary
Activity: 2070
Merit: 1164
Keeper of the Private Key
I think it will certainly deter some people from thinking about starting a darknet market, but for most it wont stop them and there will always be people willing to take the risk.

It will deter some people from starting a darknet market and publishing their personal gmail account in relation to it.

No matter how careful you have been it is very very difficult to become an untraceable ghost on the internet or even the darknet. It only takes one tiny slip up and you're done and your life is over. I couldn't even imagine the stress or paranoia it would cause being in charge of one of these markets. Hopefully decentralized ones will get rid of the issue of their owner fucking up and taking your coins with it.

I think it will certainly deter some people from thinking about starting a darknet market, but for most it wont stop them and there will always be people willing to take the risk.

It will deter some people from starting a darknet market and publishing their personal gmail account in relation to it.

I don't think so. Best example: Blake Benthall made the same error on Silkroad 2 and got busted.

He said some. There will always be fools and people who fuck up. I think satoshi is probably one of the only people who is qualified to set up one of these sites and remain anon. Maybe the powers that be could track him down if he did something like this, though.

You are right. Some people will avoid to use their real name email address when commiting crime, but people can make a lot of other errors. What about the legion of Tor users? They feel safe, but some of them - depending on their configuration - are still showing their real IP through a DNS leak.
Even Satoshi can't be aware about every 0-day around.
AGD
legendary
Activity: 2070
Merit: 1164
Keeper of the Private Key
Amir Taaki talking about the multiple personas DPR moniker:

http://www.miningpool.co.uk/amir-taaki-backs-up-ross-ulbrichts-claim-of-leaving-silk-road-after-creating-it/

Quote
“Years ago, when I messaged the Silk Road, I had a conversation with the Dread Pirate Roberts – a very personal conversation where he was [talking] about how one day he hopes to be on the outside struggling for freedom together. You know, not having to hide his identity. One year [or] two years later when I messaged the guy — I’m pretty certain it was not the same guy. The tone was completely different. He had no recollection of the events that happened before, and his attitude to me was in stark contrast to the exuberant and wordy Dread Pirate Roberts of the early days. So, free Ross Ulbricht.”

I have no reason to believe this and at the end of the day it's just his opinion. Ross was caught red handed both in setting the site up and running it when he was caught do I don't really buy the different person excuse.

See what you wrote here?  He was caught red handed "setting the site up" and "running it".

A website.  Voluntary participation for willing participants, none of whom are even in the court with complaints.  

For this: we are to pay his hotel bill for decades.  

The most shocking part about it is how primed you people are to just accept this idiocy.  

You really want to pay 100 BTC a year to correctional facility managers because "he published his email" ?  

I never said that. Learn reading quotes.
legendary
Activity: 2590
Merit: 3015
Welt Am Draht

What was his sentence btw?
Did he get life without parole?

Eveyone is talking about Ross and I haven't heard about him.
How did he get busted btw?


It all seems a little bit murky at present.

https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/silk-road-20-found-blake-benthall-released-from-prison-1136505

hero member
Activity: 1582
Merit: 502
I think it will certainly deter some people from thinking about starting a darknet market, but for most it wont stop them and there will always be people willing to take the risk.

It will deter some people from starting a darknet market and publishing their personal gmail account in relation to it.

I don't think so. Best example: Blake Benthall made the same error on Silkroad 2 and got busted.

What was his sentence btw?
Did he get life without parole?

Eveyone is talking about Ross and I haven't heard about him.
How did he get busted btw?
hero member
Activity: 500
Merit: 500
I think it will certainly deter some people from thinking about starting a darknet market, but for most it wont stop them and there will always be people willing to take the risk.

It will deter some people from starting a darknet market and publishing their personal gmail account in relation to it.

No matter how careful you have been it is very very difficult to become an untraceable ghost on the internet or even the darknet. It only takes one tiny slip up and you're done and your life is over. I couldn't even imagine the stress or paranoia it would cause being in charge of one of these markets. Hopefully decentralized ones will get rid of the issue of their owner fucking up and taking your coins with it.

I think it will certainly deter some people from thinking about starting a darknet market, but for most it wont stop them and there will always be people willing to take the risk.

It will deter some people from starting a darknet market and publishing their personal gmail account in relation to it.

I don't think so. Best example: Blake Benthall made the same error on Silkroad 2 and got busted.

He said some. There will always be fools and people who fuck up. I think satoshi is probably one of the only people who is qualified to set up one of these sites and remain anon. Maybe the powers that be could track him down if he did something like this, though.
legendary
Activity: 1066
Merit: 1050
Khazad ai-menu!
Amir Taaki talking about the multiple personas DPR moniker:

http://www.miningpool.co.uk/amir-taaki-backs-up-ross-ulbrichts-claim-of-leaving-silk-road-after-creating-it/

Quote
“Years ago, when I messaged the Silk Road, I had a conversation with the Dread Pirate Roberts – a very personal conversation where he was [talking] about how one day he hopes to be on the outside struggling for freedom together. You know, not having to hide his identity. One year [or] two years later when I messaged the guy — I’m pretty certain it was not the same guy. The tone was completely different. He had no recollection of the events that happened before, and his attitude to me was in stark contrast to the exuberant and wordy Dread Pirate Roberts of the early days. So, free Ross Ulbricht.”

I have no reason to believe this and at the end of the day it's just his opinion. Ross was caught red handed both in setting the site up and running it when he was caught do I don't really buy the different person excuse.

See what you wrote here?  He was caught red handed "setting the site up" and "running it".

A website.  Voluntary participation for willing participants, none of whom are even in the court with complaints.  

For this: we are to pay his hotel bill for decades.  

The most shocking part about it is how primed you people are to just accept this idiocy.  

You really want to pay 100 BTC a year to correctional facility managers because "he published his email" ?  
AGD
legendary
Activity: 2070
Merit: 1164
Keeper of the Private Key
I think it will certainly deter some people from thinking about starting a darknet market, but for most it wont stop them and there will always be people willing to take the risk.

It will deter some people from starting a darknet market and publishing their personal gmail account in relation to it.

I don't think so. Best example: Blake Benthall made the same error on Silkroad 2 and got busted.
legendary
Activity: 1974
Merit: 1029
I think it will certainly deter some people from thinking about starting a darknet market, but for most it wont stop them and there will always be people willing to take the risk.

It will deter some people from starting a darknet market and publishing their personal gmail account in relation to it.
legendary
Activity: 1066
Merit: 1050
Khazad ai-menu!
It is clearly to set a strong example, They don't want 10 others to do the same. If they give 20 years some people will take their chance

Well they got 100 others to do the same. 

http://qntra.net/2015/06/online-drug-trade-booming-despite-silk-road-shut-down-ulbrichts-subsequent-life-sentence/


Don't make the mistake of imagining a dying, insane, self-destructive monster to be making decisions for reasons.  Sentences like Ross's and indeed most of the well-named criminal justice system (and yes it goes on up but I'll stop there) actually have the following logic to them:

"Aaaarrrrghhh  life sucks nobody loves me I'm so afraid heelllllp  arrrrgghh  kill mee"

That's the real reasoning going on here behind this kind of decision.  Not "to set an example"  and most certainly not "to help society", though clearly nobody EVER has suggested the latter. 



legendary
Activity: 2156
Merit: 1393
You lead and I'll watch you walk away.
Let's stop by Ross's place and see if he wants to go out for some wood fired pizza and a few beers. Oh wait, we can't, I forgot that he decided to go to prison for the rest of his life.
hero member
Activity: 1582
Merit: 502
One thing I know for sure is if you're going to start a market you need to make damn sure you've got everything covered and as a minimum I wouldn't reside in the united States or any country that has an extradition treaty with them. Go start it in some country in the middle of nowhere but personally I don't think the paranoia would be worth the risk even for multi millions and I bet if you ask Ross now he would certainly say it wasn't worth it.


And I bet that if you asked him while he was still free and running Silk Road he would say it was....
Let's be honest here Wink

I do agree with all of you that life without parole is worse than death.
There is however an extremely small (more like almost non-existant) chance he might be able to get a possibility for parole on his appeal.
hero member
Activity: 500
Merit: 500
One thing I know for sure is if you're going to start a market you need to make damn sure you've got everything covered and as a minimum I wouldn't reside in the united States or any country that has an extradition treaty with them. Go start it in some country in the middle of nowhere but personally I don't think the paranoia would be worth the risk even for multi millions and I bet if you ask Ross now he would certainly say it wasn't worth it.

I do sort of feel bad for the guy. Living every day for the rest of your life in those conditions could be a fate worse than death.

It's harsh for sure, but I think Ross will be clining to an appeal right now and that will be getting him through but it's not looking good that's for sure.
member
Activity: 69
Merit: 10
Life in prison without parole.  He'll never set foot outside of prison again for the rest of his life.
I wonder if this will deter others, or do most people think they will never be caught, like he did

Tougher sentencing has never lowered crime rates AFAIK.



I think it will certainly deter some people from thinking about starting a darknet market, but for most it wont stop them and there will always be people willing to take the risk.
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