Darknet and Bitcoin De-anonymization: Emerging Development

Abstract

Darknet websites, the warm beds for money laundry, child pornography, and illicit drug trafficking, are built on hidden services and anonymous communication protocols. Cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, is the major payment method used on Darknet. In this paper, we summarize and introduce the latest development on de-anonymization techniques used to reveal the hidden information that are helpful for crime investigation, which is a key step for the future research work.