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"Dark Web" Exposes $75,000 Bitcoin-Based Bounty For Bernanke's Assassination

Tyler Durden's picture




 

As Silk Road emerged from the "dark-web", other sites have appeared offering services that are frowned upon by most. As Forbes reports, perhaps the most-disturbing is "The Assassination Market" run by a pseudnymous Kuwabatake Sanjuro. The site, remarkably, a crowdfunding service that lets anyone anonymously contribute bitcoins towards a bounty on the head of any government official–a kind of Kickstarter for political assassinations. As Forbes reports, NSA Director Alexander and President Obama have a BTC40 bounty (~$24,000) but the highest bounty - perhaps not entirely surprising - is BTC 124.14 (~$75,000) for none other than Ben Bernanke. Sanjuro's raison d'etre is chilling, "as a few politicians gets offed and they realize they’ve lost the war on privacy, the killings can stop and we can transition to a phase of peace, privacy and laissez-faire."

 

Via Forbes,

As Bitcoin becomes an increasingly popular form of digital cash, the cryptocurrency is being accepted in exchange for everything from socks to sushi to heroin. If one anarchist has his way, it’ll soon be used to buy murder, too.

 

...

 

For now, the site’s rewards are small but not insignificant. In the four months that Assassination Market has been online, six targets have been submitted by users, and bounties have been collected ranging from ten bitcoins for the murder of NSA director Keith Alexander and 40 bitcoins for the assassination of President Barack Obama to 124.14 bitcoins–the largest current bounty on the site–targeting Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve and public enemy number one for many of Bitcoin’s anti-banking-system users. At Bitcoin’s current rapidly rising exchanges rate, that’s nearly $75,000 for Bernanke’s would-be killer.

 

...

 

Sanjuro’s grisly ambitions go beyond raising the funds to bankroll a few political killings. He believes that if Assassination Market can persist and gain enough users, it will eventually enable the assassinations of enough politicians that no one would dare to hold office. He says he intends Assassination Market to destroy “all governments, everywhere.”

 

I believe it will change the world for the better,” writes Sanjuro, who shares his handle with the nameless samurai protagonist in the Akira Kurosawa film “Yojimbo.” (He tells me he chose it in homage to creator of the online black market Silk Road, who called himself the Dread Pirate Roberts, as well Bitcoin inventor Satoshi Nakamoto.)  ”Thanks to this system, a world without wars, dragnet panopticon-style surveillance, nuclear weapons, armies, repression, money manipulation, and limits to trade is firmly within our grasp for but a few bitcoins per person. I also believe that as soon as a few politicians gets offed and they realize they’ve lost the war on privacy, the killings can stop and we can transition to a phase of peace, privacy and laissez-faire.”

 

...

 

Like other so-called “dark web” sites, Assassination Market runs on the anonymity network Tor, which is designed to prevent anyone from identifying the site’s users or Sanjuro himself.

 

...

 

As for technically proving that an assassin is responsible for a target’s death, Assassination Market asks its killers to create a text file with the date of the death ahead of time, and to use a cryptographic function known as a hash to convert it to a unique string of characters.

 

...

 

“I am a crypto-anarchist,” Sanjuro concludes. “We have a bright future ahead of us.”

Read more here...

Of course - this will likely be another reason for TPTB to ban bitcoin...

The reporter contacted the Secret Service and the FBI to ask if they’re investigating Assassination Market, and both declined to comment.

 

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Mon, 11/18/2013 - 13:25 | 4165641 Inthemix96
Inthemix96's picture

Fair play Seer, see what anger and rage can do to a man?

Your idea is far better mind, so lets do that then.

:-)

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 13:08 | 4165568 Dr. Bonzo
Dr. Bonzo's picture

Smells like a government op to officially brand bitcoin a "terrorist" tool and start massively going after anyone associated with it. As terrorists mind you. Have a few bitcoins on your computer? Gitmo, renditioning, torture, drone strike.... It's alllllll legal cause the prez, a Havud law man, said so. Bitcoin = terrorism. It's coming guys, I can smell it.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 13:15 | 4165597 Uncle Remus
Uncle Remus's picture

Meanwhile, back at the range...

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 13:56 | 4165758 Seer
Seer's picture

Yes, exactly.

And why the Bitcoin proponents didn't see this coming...

Again, Bitcoin relies on an infrastructure that is controlled by TPTB.  And that it, Bitcoin, is touting scarcity when most around are heavily in debt, well... I'm pretty sure that a fifth-grader could write the script as to how Bitcoin could be snuffed out (recall that it's all about waging wars on the mind- program folks to turn in their neighbors etc.).

You don't call attention to yourself if you're trying to survive.  Success is almost totally underground and outside of the "establishment."  Oddly, if you can get buy-in from more people then there's a better chance, otherwise you're just another elite group that does not look attractive to the great numbers of folks (who will then be more inclined to side with the establishment).

I believe that PMs still have the best shot at escaping the ravages of fiat.  Though there might be a case where banksters turn over their gold to govts as part of a bit play (to force PMs out of the hands of the regular guy), I'm pretty certain that they will eventually come back to having possession (and that's the deal- kind of a temporary loan while things get restructured).  Make no mistake, TPTB will seek to maintain their positions of power.  The ONLY way we could ever be rid of them is to not allow any consolidation of power (it's up to humankind to figure this out- I'll never try to pimp any solution).

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 14:11 | 4165839 Almost Solvent
Almost Solvent's picture

Well put. The issue isn't going to be the bitcoin encryption, or the encryption of the bitcoin through cyberspace. The issue will be the USA knocking down every website that transacts in bitcoins to get their customer lists and then go after the end user. So, if you live outside the USA, big deal, unless TPTB all want to outlaw it across the globe.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 13:10 | 4165574 IndyPat
IndyPat's picture

Ok, bitcoin....you finally enticed me.
I'm in!

Edit: although, the irony sting would work better by play out in gold

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 13:12 | 4165587 Uncle Remus
Uncle Remus's picture

Death has always been bullish. Ask any banker.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 13:14 | 4165596 Yen Cross
Yen Cross's picture

  Don't drone my Bitcoins bro....

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 13:28 | 4165612 ThisIsBob
ThisIsBob's picture

Thats incredibly stupid.

In the nano-second one clicks, one will have joined in a conspiracy to commit murder, or at least will have aided and abbeted one.  Have we learned absolutely nada about the internets?

 

(Yeah, I know its all encrypted, blah, blah, blah.)

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 14:33 | 4165953 aerojet
aerojet's picture

Only if it can be proven you did it.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 14:44 | 4166009 ThisIsBob
ThisIsBob's picture

Well, that's true about any crime.  The question you have to ask is are they smarter and better resourced than all the king's horses and all the king's men, because thats who is on the other side.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 15:42 | 4166268 Seer
Seer's picture

Proof?  Ha ha!

That's so OLD Law.  In today's world a suspect is assumed guilty, and, in that our MIC needs work in order to prop up the ONLY money-making sector (defense industry), all the "formalities" of the old, burdensome laws are bypassed and we go straight to the punishment phase- drones etc..

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 13:40 | 4165656 carbonmutant
carbonmutant's picture

Sanjuro talks like a cop

This whole Op smells like a sting...

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 13:31 | 4165660 seek
seek's picture

Jesus, the global average exchange-weighted price of BTC excluding mtgox (an exclusion which normally makes the price lower, but not today) just broke $700 USD.

https://bitcoinaverage.com/#USD|nogox

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 13:31 | 4165662 Oldballplayer
Oldballplayer's picture

I guess we will find out how anonymous the bitcoin transactions are...

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 13:38 | 4165696 ThisIsBob
ThisIsBob's picture

Betcha there are some people working on it 24/7.  Guess where?

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 13:32 | 4165663 Marley
Marley's picture

Disclosure: I have no desire to abet in the assasination of any political individual.  I do not suscribe to the revolutionary tactics of this site, commentors on this site, or any political PAC or party for that matter.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 13:40 | 4165703 11b40
11b40's picture

Let me sign on to that insurance policy, too.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 13:44 | 4165714 TeMpTeK
TeMpTeK's picture

How about tulip flogging?

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 14:23 | 4165903 seek
seek's picture

Like you, I don't want to see anyone assassinated. My preference is a fair and impartial trial done very publicly (including exposing all the evidence) prior to being convicted of treason.

In fact, I'd give up every bitcoin I have just to have any and all data collected by the NSA on these parties made public, even with no trial and them getting away scot free.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 14:32 | 4165949 aerojet
aerojet's picture

Sorry, but it doesn't work that way.  Our rights will only be taken back by force.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 14:51 | 4166050 seek
seek's picture

As I said, that was my preference. My expectations of what really happens are something completely different.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 14:57 | 4166072 Big Johnson
Big Johnson's picture

Yeah your right have a fair public trial for treason..... Would be good for ratings..... Then hang em high

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 15:46 | 4166283 Seer
Seer's picture

It's safe to do the "revolution" thing, as "revolutions" are only in the minds.  It's the violence part that's left that's the issue...

For me TPTB have already gotten enough energy from.  My strategy is in energy conservation.  A kind of Tai Chi way of looking at it.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 13:40 | 4165702 bankonzhongguo
bankonzhongguo's picture

I think we just found the next bubble - bankster assassinations.

What is this strange Bitcoin thing again?

I thought it would be all smoke and mirrors, but with press like this bitcoin goes to $1,000 easy.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 13:45 | 4165725 AgileArjuna
AgileArjuna's picture

how much for a live Bernanke unscathed?

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 13:47 | 4165730 orangegeek
orangegeek's picture

Go get 'em boys.  Should be fun to watch on youtube.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 13:47 | 4165733 Youri Carma
Youri Carma's picture

The U.S. can ban anything but the rest of the world will just continue without the U.S. because the U.S. ain't the world.

Goes for gold, goes for Bitcoin.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 13:52 | 4165745 Atomizer
Atomizer's picture

This type of feat will not provide any constructive adhesion. Continue to go up the ladder. What you see on TV are the foot soldiers of this take over in the US. Climb higher and dig harder to connect the facts. This whole charade is working in broad daylight. Allow me to repeat a post again, begin with the chairman & climb up the ladder or pecking order..

The BIS Board of Directors |Chairman: Christian Noyer, Paris

http://www.bis.org/about/board.htm

 

Lastly, Christian Noyer: The euro area perspectives

http://www.bis.org/review/r130717d.pdf

Do you think he was wearing high-heel shoes during this presentation? Hard for me to speculate if the shoes were elevated platform type or 7” stiletto’s.

 

/IMHO

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 13:55 | 4165746 monad
monad's picture

This is msm political street theater. Any pissed off homeless person would do these guys for a few grand, and there are so many of them. If you must pay retail, have your banker introduce you to the people whose money he launders. If you're in congress just ask your AIPAC blackmailer. Holder'll do it.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 14:00 | 4165762 q99x2
q99x2's picture

Yeah right. Horseshit I say.

The world cares less about the United States of America each day. And that goes for the FED and Washington D.C.

What they are worried about is corporate control of US weapons and military.

It sounds like a Jamie Dimon/CIA conspiracy if I ever heard one.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 14:31 | 4165940 aerojet
aerojet's picture

It's not, though.  The originator of the concept was Jim Bell http://www.outpost-of-freedom.com/jimbellap.htm

Bell was imprisoned for simply having this idea about what could be accomplished if anonymous money were to exist.  I think they got him on some trumped up charges relating to intimidating a public official or making some kind of vague threat to somebody.  

 

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 13:57 | 4165765 beaglebog
beaglebog's picture

Honestly, what could be more democratic than this?

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 13:59 | 4165779 Downtoolong
Downtoolong's picture

When the inflation you cause increases the price on your head.

What is Catch 22, Alex.

 

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 14:01 | 4165788 sink critically
sink critically's picture

1. Wasn't there a recent confiscation of a large number of bitcoins? Who else would be so bold as to publicly advertise criminal violence?

2. Could be a faction within current guard coming up with these "fresh, new" crime fighting ideas, some of whom may be secretly hoping that 1 or 2 end up paying out.

3. No matter the source of the backing, as was pointed out above removing actors from the play does little to change the plot.

4. If those really calling the shots wish to remain anonymous they should watch the movie Revolver and disguise themselves accordingly.

5. I will never look at the guy working at a newspaper stand quite the same way again.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 14:13 | 4165854 Almost Solvent
Almost Solvent's picture

One thing I've learned in the last seven years: in every game and con there's always an opponent, and there's always a victim. The trick is to know when you're the latter, so you can become the former.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 14:13 | 4165851 sink critically
sink critically's picture

I got junked immediately, must be onto something...

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 14:14 | 4165857 bigrooster
bigrooster's picture

Sounds like a NSA honey pot.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 14:17 | 4165875 One World Mafia
One World Mafia's picture

Sounds like a Bitcoin promotion.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 14:19 | 4165886 Yen Cross
Yen Cross's picture

  The Phantom Junker is amongst us...

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 14:21 | 4165891 americanspirit
americanspirit's picture

What would Mr. Panos say?

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 14:25 | 4165910 adr
adr's picture

A good hitman costs like $50k on Craig's List to off your wife.

$75k to take out Bernanke pretty much guaranteeing a life on the run isn't enough. You'd need $20 million in Bitcoin just to make the thought worth it.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 14:28 | 4165925 aerojet
aerojet's picture

Maxim invented the machine gun because he believed it would raise the cost of war too high and thus would lead to world peace.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 14:55 | 4166066 The Abstraction...
The Abstraction of Justice's picture

Maxim's Maxim's maxim: 'When war is to great a cost there shall be piece.'

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 14:28 | 4165929 Mi Naem
Mi Naem's picture

IF it's true, it is a psyop trap. 

Or just a dumb joke - sort of like taking out an ad for a hit job in the local paper or sticking notices of the "opportunity" under windshields in the Walmart parking lot. 

...Actually, what an amusing idea!

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 14:43 | 4166006 moonstears
moonstears's picture

re-post

I'm down loading a Litecoin wallet from their site as we speak(originally tried an failed at $.11, alas, was too sceptical to proceed 3 hrs to do it) , any advice? Im finally willing to experiment, figure better now than later. Once done would anybody kick me some freebie fraction so I can see the results(say .10 Litecom which I suppose is $0.55 or so, right?) Does some site do that for signup?? Prophets seeking converts to this idea? For the record, I'm not a miner, just want to play with the idea. Can I put this on a regular thumb drive once downloaded? Thanks in advance.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 14:53 | 4166058 The Abstraction...
The Abstraction of Justice's picture

Once you have downloaded the software and entered an encryption key - suggest a passphrase of 18 chars or more, then zip it up with 7-z with another 18 char passphrase. Dont use phrases you will forget! Then you can email it to yourself. I don't agree with putting it on thumbdrives , those things can corrupt after a year without power. Googlemail should stay intact after much longer than one year. You can copy it to multiple places. What you save is your encryption key, not the bitcoins themselves. The bitcoins are stored globally as a distributed accountancy ledger. The key you are saving is what gives you the privilige to send and receive them.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 14:57 | 4166075 The Abstraction...
The Abstraction of Justice's picture

If you are really paranoid you can rename th0 inner e compressed file with a .jpg extension, then anyone who searches your email (the NSA) will be looking for the wrong extension.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 15:09 | 4166144 moonstears
moonstears's picture

Thanks, noted. Any more advice?

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 15:23 | 4166188 frenzic
Mon, 11/18/2013 - 14:46 | 4166025 JohnnyBlaze
JohnnyBlaze's picture

I am placing a bounty on my own fucking head for not buying BC. 

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 14:49 | 4166040 moonstears
moonstears's picture

lol+1

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 14:55 | 4166067 monad
monad's picture

Wait till my life insurance policy on you matures and I'll pay the bounty. Deal?

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 14:58 | 4166081 IridiumRebel
IridiumRebel's picture

I do not condone violence, but when pols and their ilk start getting offed I'll know we are in the end stages of peace leading to anarchy and folks attempting revolution. This is a step in that direction. We have fallen quite far with a helluva lot longer to go.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 15:00 | 4166092 Hephaestus
Hephaestus's picture

The bounty cant be in fiat. The Bernank would just print the dollar to zero to save himself. Just like now but even faster!

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 15:10 | 4166148 Hephaestus
Hephaestus's picture

What about Corzine Dimon and the rest of the rape pack? I bet the Bernank reward goes over 1 million by midinight tonight.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 16:03 | 4166358 Hephaestus
Hephaestus's picture

Hey I was just asking!

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 15:18 | 4166181 Hobbleknee
Hobbleknee's picture

HERE IS THE TRUTH

The "Market" is actually a gambling pool, where participants predict when the subject will die.  Everyone who guesses the correct date will share the pool.  Of course this has implications that you can conclude yourself, but it is not exactly as Forbes described it.  

The current pot for Bernanke is 124.14 bitcoins.

You can see for yourself on the actual site: https://assmkedzgorodn7o.onion.lu/

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 21:11 | 4167759 modest_proposal
modest_proposal's picture

+1 informative

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 15:24 | 4166202 tvdog
tvdog's picture

An assasination campaign is how the fascists took over Japan in the 1920's. If it works for the bad guys, it ought to work for the good guys too. Of course, the fascists currently in charge would scream, "terrorism!" but then they will say that about anybody who opposes them effectively.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 15:37 | 4166251 shovelhead
shovelhead's picture

DHS has issued an alert for costumed World of Warcraft types wandering about near the Federal Reserve building.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 15:42 | 4166264 Tinky
Tinky's picture

UNBELIEVABLE that this post, and all but Hobbleknee's response above, completely misses the facts of the matter. There is no bounty for killing anyone! It is simply a pool that rewards those who predict the date of deaths with the greatest accuracy.

Of course one could argue that a killer could take down a pool with "insider" knowledge, but please.

C'mon Tyler, there's enough hyperbole in the world already.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 15:52 | 4166305 Hobbleknee
Hobbleknee's picture

I think the real threat would be that if the pool ever got big enough, a would-be hit man would simply join the pool and "guess" the date he is planning on doing the deed.  The problem is, he doesn't know how many people coincidentally chose the same date he did, and he might have to split the pool between many people.  Suddenly the winnings are unpredictable and not so enticing.  If the pool gets up to lottery-size numbers, maybe Bernanke should worry.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 16:14 | 4166403 Non Passaran
Non Passaran's picture

But one has only one shot, so to speak, at guessing the right date. It's not like they give refunds..

Of course you can guess every 3 days, but you won't last long. The minimum seems to be one bitcoin per guess.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 16:39 | 4166538 22winmag
22winmag's picture

You mean Hobbleknee's response below.

 

Who the fuck doesn't set comments to show most recent first?

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 15:50 | 4166299 Evil Franklin
Evil Franklin's picture

A new spin on "Asassination Politics".  The author went to jail because a politician claimed that he was the target.  The DOJ just found someone to make a complaint.

Tue, 11/19/2013 - 03:11 | 4168715 Hobbleknee
Hobbleknee's picture

Free speech!

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 16:29 | 4166489 SmittyinLA
SmittyinLA's picture

I would say its time for allowing anonymous candidates, but who verifies?

 

THe Mexican mafia owns our President.....or his donors 

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 17:45 | 4166875 roadhazard
roadhazard's picture

stupid

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 18:46 | 4167172 Coldfire
Coldfire's picture

Agents provocateur.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 18:46 | 4167175 robertocarlos
robertocarlos's picture

Short bitcoin.

Shoot Ben dead.

?

Profit.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 19:41 | 4167431 Nehweh Gahnin
Nehweh Gahnin's picture

"The reporter contacted the Secret Service and the FBI to ask if they’re investigating Assassination Market, and both declined to comment."

Ummm, because they're running the site?

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 21:42 | 4167850 modest_proposal
modest_proposal's picture

Goal - remove the incentive for large funding of campaigns for public office - a force to balance the Citizen's United finding of the Supreme Court.

Proposal - tax every political spend in every political race 10%. Half of this amount will be applied to the prize pool for the winner of the election. The other half of the election will be open for online voting at random intervals and random amounts, as either increment to prize pool, decrement to prize pool, or recycle. Taxation and donation to a death pool will be administered by a revamped Federal Election Agency, renamed the Federal Assassination Collections and Administration Department (FACADe). At the end of an individuals' terms of office, any outstanding funds that have not been applied to the death pool will be contributed to the US Treasury. If an elected official is reelected, all outstanding funds will be contributed immediately to the death pool, to provide a disincentive to serial incumbancy.

Analysis - the intended dynamic is that high spend campaigns will create a proportional incentive for someone to collect. The crowd sourced element provides a means for useful achievement (or at least popular achievement). Rolling over funds for incumbents provides a disincentive to an extended career in politics.

Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site!