logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2023
49m 36s

Inside The Dark Web: Taking Down The Sil...

Fox Audio Network
About this episode

Beneath the surface web, the websites and search engines we use on a daily basis, lies the dark web, a hidden network of dangerous websites which are hidden from public access. In 2011, a man operating under the pseudonym, "Dread Pirate Roberts," created the Silk Road, a dark web black market used for selling drugs, weapons, and illegal services. 


The FBI became aware of the Silk Road just months after its foundation and soon launched an investigation to take down the site and its creator. Former FBI Special Agent Chris Tarbell was the lead investigator on the case. He discusses the inner workings of the dark web, and how the FBI managed to uncover the Silk Road's notorious kingpin.


Following his career with the FBI, Chris co-founded NAXO, a cybersecurity firm that offers investigative solutions and protection from various cyber threats. Additionally, Chris co-hosts the weekly podcast, Hacker And The Fed, which covers cybersecurity news and safety tips.

Follow Emily on Instagram: @realemilycompagno

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Up next
Today
Australian Woman Found Guilty of Murdering Relatives with Poisonous Mushrooms
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 
1m 45s
Yesterday
Case Review: The Real Donnie Brasco
Emily revisits her conversation with former FBI Agent Joe Pistone to discuss his infiltration of the Bonanno crime family. Joe reflects on his undercover work using the Donnie Brasco alias and how he almost became a "made man" within the mafia. Later, he separates fact from film ... Show More
45m 11s
Jul 7
Barry Morphew Charged Again In Suzanne Morphew's Death
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 
1m 45s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2023
Episode 291 - The Silk Road: Drugs, Data & The Dread Pirate Roberts
For some, the end of the world's most infamous online marketplace was a major victory in the never ending war on drugs. But for others, the global, multi-agency investigation into the Silk Road set a dangerous precedent for law enforcement – who rifled through the personal data o ... Show More
53m 4s
Apr 2022
41: Diving Into The Dark Web: Dark History of Silk Road
The internet isn’t really that old. But that doesn’t mean that it hasn’t already started to gather its own dark history. I mean we’re talking about a whole branch of the internet literally called “Dark Web.” And there was one site in particular that basically made the dark web th ... Show More
52m 48s
Jun 2018
Case 86: Amy Allwine
When FBI agents received word that online hackers had cracked their way into the dark web and uncovered an Albanian murder-for-hire organisation known as the Besa Mafia, they never expected their investigations would lead them to the quiet suburbs of Cottage Grove, Minnesota. --- ... Show More
1h 16m
Apr 2024
Inside the Dark Web
The criminal side of the internet, the Dark Web, is unknown to most of us. This week’s guest, criminologist David Maimon, takes us behind the curtain into a world where criminals talk to one another anonymously and the personal identifying information of thousands of unsuspecting ... Show More
39m 46s
Jun 2020
The Original Internet Godfather: From FBI’s Most Wanted to Leading Security Expert
Online crime often succeeds because of failure across a variety of systems and as technology changes, cybersecurity becomes increasingly more difficult to maintain. Those that are committing online crime usually operate open source and somewhat freely exchange information. The re ... Show More
43m 4s
Jan 2024
The Silk Road Pt. 2
By 2012, undercover DEA agents had cracked holes in an underground criminal conspiracy. It was the “Amazon.com of Drugs” – the Silk Road. But to take down its shadowy founder, they’d have to team up with a surprising number of federal agencies – and go to criminal lengths themsel ... Show More
53m 27s
Jun 2021
How the FBI Ran Its Own Texting App to Catch Criminals
It’s basically the FBI’s greatest fantasy come to life: Owning an operating an encrypted communications company exclusively used by some of the world’s most hardened and organized criminals. “Anom” the subscription based network operated by the feds, was used as the ultimate spy ... Show More
28m 52s
Feb 2019
Ep 31: Hacker Giraffe
In late November 2018, a hacker found over 50,000 printers were exposed to the Internet in ways they shouldn't have been. He wanted to raise awareness of this problem, and got himself into a whole heap of trouble. For show notes and links visit DarknetDiaries.com.This episode was ... Show More
56m 2s
Nov 2021
Plans to Kidnap/Torture Estranged Wife FAIL to Win Her Back (Best of Crime Stories)
A Washington doctor is charged with attempted kidnapping after police say he reached out to “hitmen” on the dark web. Investigators got a tip about a scheme to kidnap Dr. Ronald Craig Ilg’s wife. A woman who received the tip-off told investigators that Ilg wanted someone to kidna ... Show More
41m 36s
Nov 2021
Crime World Extra: How Australia's biggest drug cartel was brought to its knees
It was a sensational blow to organised crime - and when Australia’s Federal Police joined forces with the FBI to create a phone network to infiltrate drug gangs, the fallout shocked both police and politicians. An Aussie cartel with tentacles deep into the airline and freight ind ... Show More
18m 26s