The Federal Bureau of Investigation has seized the dark web index and news site Deep Dot Web, according to a warning notice posted on the site. The site’s dark web site has also been taken down and replaced with a similar notice.
The agency, according to the notice, seized the website with a warrant, working with computer crime investigators and European law enforcement. Two people in Israel were arrested in connection with the bust, according to local Israeli media, and authorities have also reportedly taken people in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Brazil into custody. The Times of Israel reports that the people are accused of taking commissions to send visitors to businesses offering illegal goods.
Deep Dot Web provided links to dark web marketplaces, as well as news on the subject, activity that, by itself, doesn’t violate US law. The takedown is only the most recent FBI action related to the dark web. Last week, Europol authorities arrested suspects believed to be the behind Wall Street Market, described as the second-largest dark web marketplace.
A spokesperson for the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the takedown.