Recently, Crystal Blockchain Analytics published a study showing a huge growth in the value of Bitcoins in USD transferred to the DarkWeb over the past three years.
More specifically, in the last three months the USD value of the Bitcoins transferred to the DarkWeb has increased by 340%. According to the company, this growth could be linked to the gradual adoption of cryptocurrencies by the masses.
Speaking of numbers, however, we can see a decrease in Bitcoins received by DarkWeb sites: in the first quarter of 2020 about 47,000 BTC were transferred, while in the first quarter of 2019 as many as 64,000.
Despite this, the volumes of money on the dark web have actually increased: from 384 million to 411 million dollars. This is because in the first quarter of 2019 the price of a single BTC was $ 3,500, while in the first quarter of 2020 it was about $ 7,500.
The research also showed us how users show "contempt" for exchanges that require identity checks. In fact, there has been an increase in the use of more anonymous services such as mixers.
The last data to be shown is the one on the most used cryptocurrency. The first place is always occupied by Bitcoin, but the company shows us how the use of BTC and mixers does not make users totally anonymous, in fact these activities are actually "simple" to identify and monitor:
"The impact of the stringent regulations imposed by the FAFT [Financial Action Task Force] and the European Union to tackle such illegal activities is evident. We expect to see even more significant changes in these patterns throughout 2020 as a result. of these initiatives. "
