Steemit removed the Dark Overlord hacking group this week. The blockchain-focused social site joins Twitter and Reddit in deleting the hackers, though it remains unclear whether Steemit's staff made t
Steemit removed the Dark Overlord hacking group this week. The blockchain-focused social site joins Twitter and Reddit in deleting the hackers, though it remains unclear whether Steemit's staff made the call or the group left voluntarily.
The Dark Overlord had posted 9/11 documents for sale in bitcoin. They organized the leaks into five tiers, with higher prices giving access to more sensitive material. They released the first batch. The arrangement was simple: send bitcoin, retrieve files.
Twitter and Reddit suspended the accounts within days. The hackers moved to Steemit, betting the platform's blockchain foundation and free speech positioning would protect them. They were wrong. Accessing the profile returns a 404.
Steemit runs an ordinary website with staff. Two cryptocurrencies exist alongside the social platform. That infrastructure lets administrators delete posts and remove users. CEO Ned Scott received a question about the account's removal but provided no answer.
Removing them from Steemit doesn't end the funding scheme. Bitcoin allows transfers from anyone. PayPal and Mastercard both refuse to process payments for groups like this. Bitcoin imposes no such ban.
The blockchain archived the posts. The bitcoin address and access instructions remain in those archived materials for anyone to find.
People wondered whether the Dark Overlord would try Voat or Gab, platforms that market themselves on minimal moderation. Nothing has materialized there.
The Dark Overlord explained their goal in posts on Steemit: they operated without political motive, and money was the sole motivation. Edward Snowden exposed government crimes. The Dark Overlord wanted payment for documents. Bitcoin enabled anonymous compensation that traditional finance won't permit. Visa and Mastercard decline such transfers. Bitcoin allows them.
The group released the first tier of documents. More tiers will surface if they possess additional material and if cryptocurrency donations continue. The situation warrants monitoring.
