One of the last things one would have expected to see is darknet markets embrace Bitcoin Cash payments. Lo and behold, that is exactly what has happened over at the Dream marketplace. After completing their scheduled maintenance, the team decided to add a Bitcoin Cash payment option. This is a very strange decision, given the lack of privacy and anonymity associated with this currency.
Dream Market is Back With Bitcoin Cash
It is good to see the Dream market return from “maintenance” without too many problems. In most cases, a major darknet market going into maintenance will either disappear or shut down. In this case, though, it was a scheduled downtime, and it seems the site’s operators put that time to good use. More specifically, they added another cryptocurrency for vendors and buyers to use, even though the choice will elicit plenty of controversy.
While it is true that Bitcoin Cash has seen major success over the past few weeks, it’s not a currency one would associate with the darknet. You’d think that people who buy and sell goods and services on the darknet would demand anonymity and privacy first and foremost. If that were the case, however, neither Bitcoin nor Bitcoin Cash would have any place in that ecosystem. Both currencies lack privacy and anonymity; that much is evident.
Despite this lack of darknet-oriented tools and services, Bitcoin Cash is still an interesting addition to the Dream market. More specifically, the latter is one of the first – if not the first – darknet marketplace to support Bitcoin Cash in an official capacity. Those users who want to experiment with this altcoin can turn on support for BCH in their account settings. It will be interesting to see whether or not users will show any interest in this currency whatsoever.
There is a clear battle going on in the world of darknet marketplaces. After some of the bigger platforms were closed by law enforcement earlier this year, there has been a growing demand for privacy-oriented payment options. Monero is the clear choice in this regard, yet Dream’s team seemingly has no plans to integrate that particular currency anytime soon. It is impossible to explain why they chose Bitcoin Cash, but there must be a reason for it.
At the same time, we’ve seen other marketplaces flock to Monero and get rid of Bitcoin altogether. It will be interesting to see which currency becomes the next favorite among darknet users, even though most industry experts will acknowledge there is very little competition on paper. Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, and Ethereum simply make no sense for darknet-related activities whatsoever. They are all far too transparent, which is the last thing any self-respecting marketplace wants to deal with.
It will be interesting to see how the team’s decision plays out in the long run. Adding Bitcoin Cash is remarkable, but it may come back to bite them in the rear. More specifically, the lack of privacy and anonymity associated with BCH could become a major hindrance in the coming weeks and months. Only time will tell what the future holds for Bitcoin Cash in the world of darknet marketplaces.
