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The black market in stolen antiquities on Facebook
- noizejoy 6y agoFacebook is much more convenient as a marketplace for illicit goods compared to a darknet, but wouldn’t it also be much easier for authorities to hunt down participants in that marketplace?
- cheeze 6y agoThey're selling your data to everyone else. If authorities pay enough, sure.
- colinmhayes 6y agoFacebook isn't selling data, it's their most valuable asset, that'd be unbelievably stupid. They're renting out your attention span.
- vmception 6y agoIt would be much easier for authorities to track down participants in that marketplace. It requires them caring and following through. When it comes to antiquities these things can be resold often, so even if there is a case for seizure when found, the liability isn't always there to pursue someone.
- noizejoy 6y agoMaybe authorities not caring should be the headline.
- mike00632 6y agoActually, it's a statistical certainty that a certain number of illicit transactions take place on Facebook Marketplace. If we were writing a program that we knew would have a bug in a certain number of cases then we would write a test for it or write exceptions. If Facebook is handling this responsibly then I'm sure they have a process for identifing wrong do-ers and handing everything they know to the authorities.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- ummonk 6y agoAre these really stolen antiquities? Even actual reputable auction houses tend to have quite a few fakes - surely the black markets would be flooded with them?
- fortran77 6y agoThat was my first thought, too! A naïve (stolen-)antiquity buyer who sees offers on facebook would be a prime target for someone selling knockoffs. Get them made in China and sell them in Yemen! If the local authorities come after you, just show them that they're not real. It's really a win-win. See: https://blog.britishmuseum.org/fake-antiquities-made-for-unsuspecting-collectors/ https://blog.britishmuseum.org/fake-antiquities-made-for-uns... From this article: > This is evidence for a side of the trade in antiquities which is rarely discussed – there are more fakes in circulation than genuine articles. It is easier and cheaper to make copies than it is to hire dozens of workers to look for originals. Fakes can also be conveniently complete, whereas almost everything from antiquity has been broken, either deliberately in episodes of destruction, or accidentally in the case of everyday items. There is also the simple economic truth of the laws of supply and demand.
- londons_explore 6y agoDepends on the item - there are plenty of hand carved 300 year old statues and bits of furniture that would be far more expensive to fake than to just buy the real thing... Paying someone for a month to hand carve some intricate wood with metal inlays costs a lot more than $50 for some old junk antique, even at china labour rates.
- RcouF1uZ4gsC 6y agoWhat would be awesome is if the authorities were actually monitoring the group and basically supplying fakes with hidden "traps" in them (like microscopic etchings that say "congratulations, sucker"). Then after letting this scam run for a few years, they hold a conference and announce this, and where to look to see the "trap".
- tertius 6y agoThis hurts buyers not sellers.
- frEdmbx 6y agoRoss Ulbricht
- RickJWagner 6y agoOpening the article by implying Facebook enables ISIS. Did not see that one coming! Slate deserves extra credit for imagination. Real world reporting? Not so much.