Random Darknet Shopper ‘Cleared of All Charges’

Bitcoin and the world of art are gradually merging. Artequesta recently announced their acceptance of bitcoin for investment in traditional pieces. Separately, in Amsterdam last year the artwork, ‘Collaboration’ by Reinier van den Bezemer Schoonderwoerd was purchased for the Bitcoin equivalent of $10,000 US. Now it seems Bitcoin’s relationship to art isn’t simply about turning a profit.

A group of artists from Switzerland have taken this integration one step further. !Mediengruppe Bitnik consists of the artists Carmen Weisskopf and Domagoj Smoljo, London filmmaker and researcher Adnan Hadzi, and the reporter Daniel Ryser. They live and work out of both Zurich and London, envisioning contemporary art utilizing the internet.

“!Mediengruppe Bitniks works formulate fundamental questions concerning contemporary issues.”
— – !Mediengruppe Bitnik

In early 2013 the group sent a parcel to Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks, at the Ecuadorian Embassy. The parcel contained a camera which broadcast its journey through the postal system, live on the internet. Called «Delivery for Mr. Assange», the event was described as a SYSTEM_TEST and a Live Mail Art Piece, according to the !Mediengruppe Bitnik website.

!Mediengruppe Bitnik went on to create the Random Darknet Shopper in 2014, and provided it with a $100 weekly bitcoin allowance. The Darknet Shopper made random purchases from the dark web, an infamous source of illicit goods. “Each new object adds to a landscape of traded goods from the Darknet,” !Mediengruppe Bitnik states. The successful deliveries were received by the group and displayed at Kunst Halle St. Gallen in an exhibition named The Darknet – From Memes to Onionland. An Exploration.

A set of Fire Brigade master keys bought from the UK was the group’s first post in September 2014. While the master keys provide access to a range of locked doors, required in an emergency situation, some items were less innocuous;

“It seems that Random Darknet Shopper needs some time for reflection. The bot just ordered a simple plain letter to test whether its address is working correctly.”
— – !Mediengruppe Bitnik

Others items created much more controversy. The Darknet Shopper lasted for only a few months before the computer was seized for its purchases, in January this year. The purchase and smooth delivery of ecstasy pills created a buzz in the online community. “Forensic examination shows that the pills really are Ecstasy. Each pill contains 90mg of MDMA. According to the forensic report the pills will now be destroyed,” !Mediengruppe Bitnik

Switzerland is quite familiar with MDMA. In 1988, the Swiss Federal Office for Public Health granted special permission to several therapists, who used the substance in combination with psychotherapy. This lasted until 1993 when the practice of psychotherapy with psychedelics was banned. It appears an element of leniency towards MDMA still remains in Switzerland, which can be seen in the authorities approach to the Darknet Shopper.

Following an initial attempt at prosecution for the possession of an illegal substance, the group was granted a reprieve. “The public prosecution also asserts that the overweighing interest in the questions raised by the artwork «Random Darknet Shopper» justify the exhibition of the drugs as artefacts, even if the exhibition does hold a small risk of endangerment of third parties through the drugs exhibited.”

!Mediengruppe Bitnik could not be happier with the results. “So, three months after the confiscation in January, all items except the Ecstasy were given back to us by the public prosecutor,” said  !Mediengruppe Bitnik on their blog. “We as well as the Random Darknet Shopper have been cleared of all charges. This is a great day for the bot, for us and for freedom of art!”