Dark Web Market Revenues Sink 50% in 2022

What's Happened?

The Dark Web Market has seen a dramatic decrease in revenues in 2022. According to experts, the drop is due to a combination of increased law enforcement pressure, competition from legitimate businesses, and a lack of new customers entering the space.

What Are The Consequences?

As a result, many criminals have been forced to turn away from the dark web market and look for alternate means of making money. This has coincided with a rise in cybercrime and ransomware attacks, as cybercriminals seek to capitalise on the lack of activity on the dark web market.

The decrease in dark web market activity is also being attributed to a shift in public opinion about illegal activities. Increasingly, citizens are more likely to  report suspicious activity to law enforcement and are less tolerant of cybercrime. This has had a direct effect on the dark web market, as fewer people are willing to engage in criminal activities due to the risk of being caught.

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What Can Be Done?

In order to reverse this trend, experts suggest that law enforcement should focus more resources on shutting down dark web marketplaces and apprehending those involved. Additionally, better education and awareness campaigns could be implemented in order to discourage people from participating in these activities. Finally, legitimate businesses could offer more services that compete with the offerings of the dark web market. This could provide an alternative for those seeking to purchase illegal items or services.

Important Statistics

• The blockchain analysis company said that dark web revenues fell from $3.1bn to $1.5bn in 2021.
• Average daily revenue for all markets dropped significantly from $4.2m to $447,000.
• The number of transactions over the dark web fell from 6.3 million to 1.5 million.
  

Ultimately, it is up to society as a whole to reject the notion that criminal activities should be tolerated. By working together, we can help create a safer online environment and reduce activity on the dark web market. Here at DarkInvader, we are actively scanning the Dark Web 24/7 to discover any threats that pose to your business, followed by remediation advice from our team of researchers.

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