DARKNETFORUM

A: We are an independent, uncensored underground discussion board and anonymous peer-to-peer marketplace. Our mission is to provide a secure environment for trade, political discourse, and cryptographic research free from state surveillance.

A: The entry fee (Standard or Vendor) acts as an anti-spam barrier. It prevents automated bots, malicious script-kiddies, and denial-of-service attackers from flooding our database with fake accounts. 100% of these funds go toward maintaining our secure server infrastructure and Tor nodes.

A: Only if you have a PGP key attached to your profile. We do not collect emails or backup verification data. If you lose your password and haven't enabled PGP Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), your account is lost forever. Staff cannot and will not bypass this for security reasons.

A: Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) is a data encryption program that provides cryptographic privacy and authentication. You should never send plaintext addresses, tracking numbers, or personal info through Private Messages (PMs). Always encrypt your text locally using the recipient's public PGP key before pasting it into the forum.

A: Bitcoin (BTC) is a pseudonymous blockchain. All transactions are completely public. For absolute anonymity, we strongly recommend using Monero (XMR). Monero natively hides the sender, receiver, and transaction amount, making it impossible for blockchain analysis firms to track your financial activity.

A: When you purchase something from a vendor, your funds are securely locked by the platform's automated escrow smart contract. The vendor ships the item knowing the money is secured. Once you receive and verify your order, you click "Finalize Payment" to release the funds to the vendor.

A: Do not finalize the escrow. Open a **Dispute** button on the order page. A forum moderator (Arbiter) will step in to inspect the situation. You will be required to provide evidence (such as tracking data or your PGP-encrypted communication log). If the vendor failed to deliver, the escrow funds will be fully refunded to your wallet.

A: Finalize Early is a privilege granted only to highly trusted, long-standing vendors. It allows them to receive funds before the item arrives to cash out and restock. Warning: If you use FE with an unverified or low-reputation vendor and they scam you, staff cannot recover your funds because the coins have already left our escrow wallet.