The interesting thing about dead drops is that they are asymmetric, because whoever chooses the dead drop location has first-mover advantage. So, they are harde

The interesting thing about dead drops is that they are asymmetric, because whoever chooses the dead drop location has first-mover advantage. So, they are harder to surveil for an outsider, but easier for an insider - who can also involve third parties in a distributed way, similar to how the exchanges themselves happen. The article gets into this when it discusses how sellers might adapt to the possibility of a middle-man stealing from the dead-drop, or a supplier surveiling them.