Market Shutdown Timeline (2011 – 2026)
An exhaustive historical registry documenting major darknet market shutdowns, their causes, and their impact on ecosystem security protocols.
| Date | Platform | Type of Closure | Primary Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2013 | Silk Road | Law Enforcement | Server seizure in Iceland; admin OPSEC leaks |
| November 2014 | Silk Road 2.0 | Operation Onymous | Tor node exploitation & undercover infiltration |
| July 2017 | AlphaBay | Operation Bayonet | Personal Hotmail in server configuration |
| July 2017 | Hansa Market | Dutch Police Takeover | Silent monitoring of buyer addresses for 27 days |
| April 2019 | Dream Market | Honorable Retirement | Advance notice; all balances settled |
| August 2020 | Empire Market | Exit Scam | DDoS fatigue; operators vanished with $30M |
| October 2021 | White House Market | Honorable Retirement | Ordered retirement; Monero pioneer |
| April 2022 | Hydra Market | BKA Seizure | German server raid; 543 BTC confiscated |
| March 2024 | Incognito Market | Exit Scam & Extortion | Admin extorted vendors using order records |
| June 2025 | Abacus Market | Exit Scam | Fake DDoS alerts; frozen customer withdrawals |