[duxup]

It seems like an anonymous hitman system just doesn't work.

For the hitman, it's much safer to just take the down payment / etc and not do anything. That's just way more cost effective / lower risk to do that over and over again.

For the person hiring them... no reason to think the hitman won't do the logical thing and not do the hit / walk with the up front cash.... and probably limited no incentive to pay after the deed is done if in fact everyone is anonymous.

Historically speaking hitmen seem to be tied to organizations who the hitman and the employer more or less can trust / provide some level of protection / regular work / other work or at least the promise of it. And generally the the professional hitmen eventually tend to be disposed of by the next hitman after their usefulness to their employer fades...

A system where nobody trusts anyone would seem to only attract scammers and some random idiots.

Hard to imagine it working out any other way.

[joan_kode]

Dark web marketplaces are not exactly "a system where nobody trusts anyone". They are pseudonymous, as opposed to completely anonymous, and sellers absolutely build reputation and some degree of trust. Otherwise nothing would work - the problems you point out would prevent any business at all. It's theoretically possible for a hitman to build reputation in such an environment. However, it would have to be comparatively slow and high-stakes, which I suspect is the main problem and tips the scale towards scamming.

[three_seagrass]

Except the dark net reputation system is completely broken.

It's trivially easy to create new accounts and maintain parallel alternate accounts on dark net marketplaces, even going so far as giving yourself fake reviews to pump up reputations.

This is such a common scam on dark net markets that it has a name, known as exit scamming. A vendor will build themselves up a good reputation (usually fake) and then scam everyone who transacts with them, cashing out on the reputation. Wash, rinse, repeat with new accounts.

You also run a risk when leaving a bad review. Even if you never buy from that vendor again, you could buy from one of their alternate accounts, and they'll send you fentanyl in your product as retaliation.

[duxup]

I think the flip side to the nobody trusts anyone is once you out yourself as a hitman with a good reputation ... I think you can assume any customers will be cops pretty dang fast.

[neolog]

That doesn't seem to happen for drug markets.

[duxup]

Seems to happen to the operators of dark web services... and then their users.

Beyond that though a hitman seems to assume some level of proximity to the target that authorities could use. Mailing drugs much less so.

[blaser-waffle]

Aye. With hitmen there are bodies, a capital crime, and no statute of limitations. Drug laws are often much more lenient, not as far reaching, and some random guys Silk Road order is a drop in the bucket compared to the serious importing and production of said drugs.

Plus you order your goods to the wrong address or use a fake name, and when the heat comes around you say "it wasn't me" and flush your drugs -- they're not going to chase you for months the way they might a murder case.

Obviously exceptions for the guys ordering kilos of coke every quarter, but as long as you put a little bit of effort into CYA no one is going to kick down your door for $80 worth of Molly.

[nix23]

NOT true watch or read 'the jackal' (the book is a bit different because it's against the french president not the US)

And its partially a true story:

https://www.insidehook.com/article/military/real-life-jackal...

[the8472]

Perhaps some multi-step smart contract that creates a prisoner's dilemma where both parties pre-commit some money. On completion of the contract if both sides submit a completion code, you get some of it back (to incentivize you to complete the transaction) and the larger part goes to the hitman (to incentivize him to do finish his job). If either side reneges the money gets burned or redistributed to random wallets.

[duxup]

Yeah I've seen some theoretical systems that always include some sort of escrow... but that just assumes we trust that escrow system... somehow.

It's all turtles it seems ;)

[SCHiM]

The escrow can build up trust with high volume low amount transactions, i.e. your regular drug transactions.

I think all dark markets to date had some escrow systems in place eventually.

[mycall]

Reminds me of ETH smart contracts.

[bena]

What about something something blockchain? Isn't that the hotness now? Blockchain it?

[antepodius]

What about using a prediction market?