In my post about the Cypherpunks I stated that some of their ideas, like ransom publishing and digital currencies, had finally come of age. Well another one just came to my attention black market information bizarres.
On the Cypherpunks list Tim May described BlackNet:
BlackNet is in the business of buying, selling, trading, and otherwise dealing with *information* in all its many forms.
Well, now there is PayPub, a system that allows a leaker to get paid as they anonymously release data:
Trustless provably fair information marketplace ========================================
“PayPub: Trustless payments for information publishing on Bitcoin” Scheme by Peter Todd Code by Amir Taaki
This is just a proof of concept prototype, but the code is out there for anyone who wants it.
Tags: Cypherpunks
The opportunity to enable and encourage profit from nefarious activity is frightening, but like most things, it depends upon the execution.