5 ms·

Certainly one unexpected way for the government to scare off and shut down nefarious communications happening on Wickr. Note this platform has been popular amon

Certainly one unexpected way for the government to scare off and shut down nefarious communications happening on Wickr. Note this platform has been popular amongst the darkest underbelly of the web (e.g. carders, drug dealers).

skzrskzr 5y ago
What's a "carder"? Never heard the term and a google search turns up a bunch of benign things.
- tiagod 5y ago
  People that steal credit card numbers to sell online (among other things). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carding_(fraud) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carding_(fraud)
AndrewUnmuted 5y ago
Though true, this is just about entirely irrelevant given where Wickr has gone since 2016. It may surprise you to learn that Wickr was awarded a large US Airforce contract last year. [0] [0] https://wickr.com/wickr-awarded-us-air-force-contract/ https://wickr.com/wickr-awarded-us-air-force-contract/
- wkrthrow 5y ago
  Why is it irrelevant post-2016? Wickr was still a preferred choice of drug dealers well up to 2018 (and probably beyond). I know this because I was using it to communicate with them.
  - wolverine876 5y ago
    Why not WhatsApp or Signal or something similar?
    - sibane 5y ago
      You don't need a phone number to register on Wickr. That's probably a big one.
  - AndrewUnmuted 5y ago
    Sure, there's a subset of DarkNetMarket dealers who use Wickr. There's a subset of all sorts of underground/niche communities out there using it. You get purchased by Amazon after securing a military contract, not by being an awesome way for online drug vendors to chat with customers. Though perhaps that's what got them the US Air Force contract to begin with...
rainonmoon 5y ago
Oh if only stolen credit cards and drugs were the darkest underbelly of the web! Note that it's also popular with former Australian Prime Ministers and plenty of other people for ethical and legitimate reasons (some of them also legal), not just "nefarious communications."
thamer 5y ago
Knowing how Wickr is used by drug dealers, I was surprised to read the author's bio at the end of this announcement: > Prior to AWS, he had an extensive career at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where he served as a senior executive and section chief. I reads a bit differently as "ex-FBI brass pleased to announce his new employer acquired your drug dealer's favorite encrypted chat app".
- jrockway 5y ago
  It can go both ways, right? Maybe he thought that the war on drugs was dumb, so quit investigating drug crimes and developed technology that made it impossible for a successor to do that job.

skzrskzr 5y ago

What's a "carder"? Never heard the term and a google search turns up a bunch of benign things.

tiagod 5y ago
People that steal credit card numbers to sell online (among other things). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carding_(fraud) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carding_(fraud)

AndrewUnmuted 5y ago

Though true, this is just about entirely irrelevant given where Wickr has gone since 2016. It may surprise you to learn that Wickr was awarded a large US Airforce contract last year. [0] [0] https://wickr.com/wickr-awarded-us-air-force-contract/ https://wickr.com/wickr-awarded-us-air-force-contract/

wkrthrow 5y ago
Why is it irrelevant post-2016? Wickr was still a preferred choice of drug dealers well up to 2018 (and probably beyond). I know this because I was using it to communicate with them.
- wolverine876 5y ago
  Why not WhatsApp or Signal or something similar?
  - sibane 5y ago
    You don't need a phone number to register on Wickr. That's probably a big one.
- AndrewUnmuted 5y ago
  Sure, there's a subset of DarkNetMarket dealers who use Wickr. There's a subset of all sorts of underground/niche communities out there using it. You get purchased by Amazon after securing a military contract, not by being an awesome way for online drug vendors to chat with customers. Though perhaps that's what got them the US Air Force contract to begin with...

rainonmoon 5y ago

Oh if only stolen credit cards and drugs were the darkest underbelly of the web! Note that it's also popular with former Australian Prime Ministers and plenty of other people for ethical and legitimate reasons (some of them also legal), not just "nefarious communications."

thamer 5y ago

Knowing how Wickr is used by drug dealers, I was surprised to read the author's bio at the end of this announcement: > Prior to AWS, he had an extensive career at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where he served as a senior executive and section chief. I reads a bit differently as "ex-FBI brass pleased to announce his new employer acquired your drug dealer's favorite encrypted chat app".

jrockway 5y ago
It can go both ways, right? Maybe he thought that the war on drugs was dumb, so quit investigating drug crimes and developed technology that made it impossible for a successor to do that job.