Ross Ulbricht and the Silk Road Case Should Never be Forgotten - It Set a Very Dangerous Precedent

Probably most of us remember the case of Ross Ulbricht, and the Silk Road (primarily) drug website that he was alleged to have operated. However, probably few understand little more than what the mainstream media provided as news in the case, that was watched around the world. If we're to blindly believe that this man setup a criminal enterprise to make a lot of money, and investigators, through legitimate, ethical, criminal investigative techniques brought down this evil empire, and Ulbricht was subsequently prosecuted in a fair trial, and given a 'life-without-parole' sentence based on the merits of the prosecution's case, we are missing so much of what really happened.

There was a belief, even among some investigators in the case, that Albricht, quite possibly wasn't the now-infamous 'Dread Pirate Roberts,' which was the pseudonym that was used by one or more of the administrators that operated the website. There is also speculation that Ulbricht may have indeed been one of those using the 'Dread Pirate Roberts' moniker, but there may have also been up to three others, at times, also using the handle.

The documentary film, 'Deep Web,' by Alex Winter, and narrated by Winter's one time costar Kenau Reeves (Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure), does a great job of presenting the case and how it unfolded, including what was described by Ulbricht's father (Kirk Ulbricht), as "The Trial that Never Happened."

The documentary speaks volumes about the case, the question of possible Fourth Amendment Rights violations, as well as the very real question as to whether Ross Ulbricht was given anything even close to a fair trial. Many believe that Ulbricht was merely used to set an example, and after viewing the film I'm very inclined to believe it also.

The documentary can be seen for free at the following link location, and Alex Winter's 'TedTalk' regarding privacy on the Internet, can be seen below. I believe both should be mandatory viewing for all, but especially the documentary.

Deep Web Documentary