Bitcoin transactions in the deep web are completely anonymous? Too naive, law enforcement agencies can still track them

There are many questions about how law enforcement can track users on the deep web. It turns out that there are more than a dozen ways to track users. While the legality of these tricks remains questionable, using Bitcoin is not a way to protect user privacy or anonymity in any way.

Contrary to what most people would like, law enforcement agencies are able to track Bitcoin users on the deep web. Although this anonymous cryptocurrency is a payment method of choice in the virtual underground market, it is not very difficult to connect it to the user's real identity.

Bitcoin cannot provide deep web anonymity

The US Department of Homeland Security is actively conducting a Bitcoin and blockchain mission to track criminals who use Bitcoin to launder money. Although Bitcoin transactions have no connection to real identities, they have somehow managed to find deep web users through this cryptocurrency.

One way this type of activity can show up is through transactions that require the transfer of large amounts of Bitcoin. One particular investigation revealed that someone was selling illegal goods in exchange for millions of dollars in Bitcoin. This type of activity will sooner or later attract the attention of law enforcement agencies.

But Bitcoin transactions alone are not enough evidence to warrant an arrest. Most deep web users leave subtle digital traces, but even so it’s difficult to track them. Even with all the technical measures put in place to provide anonymity, humans are prone to making mistakes along the way.

Perhaps the most common way to track deep web users is by infiltrating the marketplace itself. Shutting down a marketplace or gaining access through a backdoor can take a long time. Additionally, it provides new leads for law enforcement.

The anonymity and privacy of the deep web are indeed useful, but they also come with great risks. Law enforcement officers can go undercover in such markets. Buyers don't know the identity of the sellers, and vice versa. Sometimes, one of the sellers or buyers may be a law enforcement officer.