Utopia (marketplace)

{{Short description|Former darknet market}}

{{Infobox website

| name = Utopia

| logo = Utopia_darknet_market_logo.png

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| url = {{Onion defunct|ggvow6fj3sehlm45}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.deepdotweb.com/marketplace-directory/listing/utopia-marketplace/ |title=Utopia Marketplace | Deep Dot Web |access-date=2017-09-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708125621/https://www.deepdotweb.com/marketplace-directory/listing/utopia-marketplace/ |archive-date=2017-07-08 |url-status=dead }}

| commercial = Yes

| type = Darknet market

| registration = Required

| language = English

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| current_status = Offline

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}}

Utopia was a darknet market similar to The Silk Road that facilitated sale of illegal items such as narcotics, firearms, stolen bank account information and forged identity documents.{{cite news|last1=Vaas|first1=Lisa|title=Silk Road-alike "Utopia" dark-net market seized by Dutch police|url=https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2014/02/13/silk-road-alike-utopia-dark-net-market-seized-by-dutch-police/|publisher=Naked Security by Sophos|date=February 13, 2014|access-date=June 19, 2018}} Utopia was based on Black Market Reloaded and has ties to it.{{cite news|last1=DeepDotWeb|title=BMR Based Market: Utopia Market|url=http://www.deepdotweb.com/2013/12/31/new-bmr-based-market-utopia-market/|access-date=31 May 2015|date=31 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418080007/http://www.deepdotweb.com/2013/12/31/new-bmr-based-market-utopia-market/|archive-date=18 April 2015|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://www.dailydot.com/crime/deep-web-black-markets-utopia/|title=In search of Utopia in the Deep Web|author=Carola Frediani|date=February 7, 2014|website=The Daily Dot|access-date=June 19, 2018|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170901154628/https://www.dailydot.com/crime/deep-web-black-markets-utopia/|archive-date=September 1, 2017|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}

History

It was launched on 3 February 2014{{cite news|work=DeepDotWeb|title=Utopia Marketplace is Now Officially Open!|url=http://www.deepdotweb.com/2014/02/03/utopia-marketplace-is-now-officialy-open/|access-date=24 May 2015|date=3 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418080359/http://www.deepdotweb.com/2014/02/03/utopia-marketplace-is-now-officialy-open/|archive-date=18 April 2015|url-status=dead}} only to be shut down by Dutch police 8 days later.{{cite news|last1=BBC Technology|title=Utopia drugs market forced off Tor by Dutch police|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-26147994|access-date=24 May 2015|date=12 February 2014}} Undercover agents were able to buy large amounts of ecstasy (MDMA) and cocaine. 900 Bitcoin (then worth approximately £363,000) were seized.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-26158012|title=Five arrested in Utopia dark net marketplace crackdown|author=Leo Kelion|date=February 12, 2014|publisher=BBC News|access-date=June 19, 2018}}

References

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