Dutch National High-Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU)
institutionThe Blackmail Network · Darknet & Cyber
Dutch police didn't just shut down a criminal marketplace, they secretly ran it themselves for 27 days to catch its users.
Who they are
The Dutch National High-Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU), a Dutch police cybercrime team.
What they do
It set the engine's model example of the state secretly operating the very platform criminals think is safe.
How it works
In July 2017 it ran the Hansa Market as a 27-day honeypot, taking over the darknet marketplace and running it to gather evidence on its users.
Why it matters
It's the template for how a government can covertly become the hidden operator of a criminal system to catch the people using it.
The engine's record — word for word
Dutch National Police high-tech crime unit. Architect of the Hansa-Market 27-day honeypot operation (July 2017). Sets the engine-canonical template for state-actor covert-substrate operations on darknet markets.
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