Test4Pay admin and activist /u/Steveirwin went silent about 2 weeks ago and rumors as to his disappearance have run rampant. Dread Admin u/Paris has a strong suspicion he’s been arrested and removed all of Steve’s admin roles. Although no solid evidence has popped up, this was a move of caution. What’s happening to SteveIrwin?
Test4Pay May See It’s End
Test4Pay, is one of the Darknet’s resounding successes that started in Australia and has slowly made its way into Europe, and to the United States. If you’re a crypto enthusiast, you’ll appreciate the innovative thinking behind this harm reduction program.
The idea behind the project was to create a safer space for darknet users by providing valuable insights into the substances they were purchasing. In essence, Test4Pay is all about ensuring the safety of the darknet community. To do this, they’d pay users for test results on vendors’ products, providing valuable insights into what’s really in those substances that often find their way into the dark corners of the internet.
The Darknet Test4Pay offered substantial rewards to those who participated, including $80 USD for samples sent to DrugsData, $40 USD for samples sent to GetYourDrugsTested (GYDT), and even reagent tests with payouts ranging from $10 for a single reagent to $30 for 4+ reagents. For Fentanyl tests, specific to Opioid and benzodiazepine products, participants could earn $15 USD. While these aren’t major earnings, they helped make Darknet Markets a safer place for clean drugs. But as you can imagine, this isn’t cheap. So, it was completely community-funded and supported. If you want to find out more about them, here’s a Dread Link to their subforum.
And it’s only been growing. Over the last year and a bit, Test4Pay has been primarily in Australia, and the results were a major win in finding those who laced drugs vs who delivered as promised. Donations were coming in at rapid speeds, with major markets like Abacus Market even donating over $7000 within the first few months (as seen in the picture)
The platform was making its way into various other markets across the world. But now the breaks have been pushed. For the last three weeks, u/Steveirwin ended his daily engagement with the community and hasn’t made a post. Something which is completely out of the ordinary for the admin.
Darknet Admin Paris Claims Arrest
On October 9th, Darknet forum Dread admin u/Paris made a bold move removing all of Steveirwins moderation rights from his main and alt accounts. This isn’t common to see from the Dread admin, but the move was made under the belief that Steveirwin was arrested.
Dread staff has very strong reason to believe that /u/Steveirwin was arrested a few days ago. Due to the arrest, /u/Steveirwin (and all alts) have been removed from moderation on all Test4Pay subdreads. The previously donated funds for Test4Pay is probably not accessible anymore due to the wallet keys being controlled by Steveirwin (to the best of my knowledge).
Test4Pay has been one of the most successful harm reduction programs on the darknet. Knowing what you are truly getting when you order from a vendor is paramount to the safety of an individual. Vendors and markets being able to get verification from a non-involved third party that their stuff is clean is equally important in my mind. Safety starts at the source. Test4Pay, while not perfect, provided a way to incentivize the testing and publishing of this information for community safety. With multiple market getting involved and many vendor listings getting tested for safety this project has produced real tangible results.
We need better systems for this project. This project doesn’t need to die here. Lives are at stake. All test4pay subdreads have at least one active moderator still. Something like this should not live and die by one man getting arrested.
Shall we continue? I say we should. And we should do it right this time
Test4Pay: Steveirwin (and all alts) have been removed from moderation by Dread staff – by /u/Paris A
The announcement came with much disappointment. Some users made comments on how it’s a shame that somebody who was doing good for the Darknet Markets. Others voiced their support for the program, suggesting various ways to ensure its continuity. Some even proposed the idea of Dread, the online community, taking on Test4Pay, or even launching a similar program with crowd-funded resources.
Is this the end of Test4Pay? No
No this won’t be the end of Test4pay. At this point it’ll be a patient game as to whether Steveirwin could return. There are many reasons Steveirwin could have gone dark, and right now it’s best to be cautious. He could have just been sick, or in an accident of some sort, or on holiday. Paris hasn’t given any evidence to back his arrest claims but shows his solidarity to the idea behind Test4Pay.
This project has the potential to bring about a notable positive change within the community. Its primary aim is to promote safer drug testing practices. By offering incentives for individuals to access the necessary tools to verify the substances they plan to use, it encourages a sense of responsibility and informed decision-making among users.
Plus, this Darknet Platform is equally advantageous for vendors. Those who already provide clean and secure products have no reason for concern. In fact, they stand to gain substantially from supporting such an endeavor. This is because, in a competitive marketplace, some vendors might compromise on quality, opting for less expensive and potentially risky ingredients. With users having access to testing tools, they can not only verify the quality of one vendor’s offerings but also make informed comparisons with products from other competitors. This dynamic motivates vendors to prioritize product quality and safety, granting them a competitive edge.
Overall, the project promises to be a win-win for both users and vendors in the community. Users gain access to tools that enhance their ability to ensure the safety of what they consume, and vendors are encouraged to maintain high standards in their product offerings. So one way or another, it’ll find its way back into the Darknet Marketplace
Hey there, I’m a dark web geek who’s been around for the last 8 years. More precisely, I’m livedarknet’s senior content writer who’s been writing about darknet marketplaces, tutorials, and cybersecurity stuff for educational purposes.