BlackHatWorld

Last updated

BlackHatWorld
Type of site
 Internet forum
Available inEnglish
Area servedWorldwide
URL www.blackhatworld.com
Advertising Banner ads, promoted links

BlackHatWorld (BHW) is an Internet forum focused on black-hat search engine optimization (SEO) techniques and services. [1] [2]

Contents

Site services are varied, including cryptocurrency, social media marketing, graphic design, app development, [3] SEO, [1] [2] and copywriting.[ citation needed ] Other site services include bulk account registration, [4] unconventional money-making methods, social media botting, [5] and developments in the SEO space. [5] [6] It features a marketplace where companies and individuals can advertise their products. But only after BlackHatWorld employees have verified the success and dependability of the organization. [7] Damien Trevatt, also known online as Diamond Damien, [8] is known as the current owner of BlackHatWorld. [9] [10]

History

The forum has existed since 2005. [11] When it began, the site was primarily a forum for discussing search engine optimization tips. By the time of a 2013 study by Afroz et al., the forum had become a “discussion and commerce hub”. [2] In 2015, the forum's two largest communities traded video uploading and blog generator tools. Communities consisted of a few core members and many peripheral members. [12] By 2016, BlackHatWorld was one of the largest public forums for the black hat underground community. Most users were located in India, Pakistan, or the US. [1]

Efforts by social media companies, such as 2018 crackdowns by YouTube [13] and Instagram, [14] have adversely affected sites such as BlackHatWorld.

Services

Users of BlackHatWorld are primarily English-speaking. [1] [2] Search engine optimization is the most common service, with many users using BlackHatWorld offering services such as spamming blogs and forums with links. [1] Users must pay a fee to post in a public thread or download a file. Admins and moderators review products. [2] Some users allege that these moderators are corrupt. [10] Users’ reputation is tracked, and only reputable users can participate in more exclusive threads. Users who violate community norms can be banned or fined. [2] Skype is the most popular off-site communication method. [1] The platform does not only focus on black-hat marketing practices but also has sections dedicated to grey hat and white hat activities. There is also a dedicated "My Journey" section for the community to actively share their experiences and journey with internet marketing. [15]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sundaresan, Srikanth; McCoy, Damon; Afroz, Sadia; Paxson, Vern (2016). "Profiling underground merchants based on network behavior". 2016 APWG Symposium on Electronic Crime Research (ECrime). pp. 1–9. doi:10.1109/ECRIME.2016.7487943. ISBN   978-1-5090-2922-8.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Afroz, Sadia; Garg, Vaibhav; McCoy, Damon; Greenstadt, Rachel (2016). "Honor among thieves: A common's analysis of cybercrime economies". 2013 APWG eCrime Researchers Summit. pp. 1–11. doi:10.1109/eCRS.2013.6805778. ISBN   978-1-4799-1158-5.
  3. ↑ Fernández Vilas, Ana; Díaz Redondo, Rebeca P.; Couto Cancela, Daniel; Torrado Pazos, Alejandro (2021). "Interplay between Cryptocurrency Transactions and Online Financial Forums". Mathematics. 9 (4): 411. arXiv: 2401.10238 . doi: 10.3390/math9040411 .
  4. ↑ "Constant Dullaart: The Possibility of an Army - Announcements - e-flux". www.e-flux.com. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  5. 1 2 "The new kings of YouTube botting". kernelmag.dailydot.com. Archived from the original on 13 November 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  6. ↑ "Black Hat Time For Facebook Search Calls Black Hat Forums". seroundtable.com. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  7. ↑ "The Black Hat World Marketplace Rules". BlackHatWorld. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  8. ↑ "Diamond Damien". BlackHatWorld. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  9. ↑ "Damien Trevatt". UnGagged. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  10. 1 2 Beamer, Troy (28 December 2024). "Black Hat World – A Hub For Scammers And Trolls – A Global Warning". Tech Business News. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
  11. ↑ Afroz, Sadia; Caliskan-Islam, Aylin; Stolerman, Ariel; Greenstadt, Rachel; McCoy, Damon (2014). "Doppelgänger Finder: Taking Stylometry to the Underground". 2014 IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy. pp. 212–226. doi:10.1109/SP.2014.21. ISBN   978-1-4799-4686-0.
  12. ↑ Garg, Viabhav; Afroz, Sadia; Overdorft, Rebekah & Greenstadt, Rachel (1 January 2015). "Computer-Supported Cooperative Crime". In Böhme, Rainer & Okamoto, Tatsuaki (eds.). Financial Cryptography and Data Security. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. pp. 32–43.
  13. ↑ Martineau, Paris (20 March 2018). "Inside YouTube's fake views economy". The Outline . Retrieved 20 January 2025.
  14. ↑ Martineau, Paris (20 November 2018). "Instagram's Crackdown on Fake Followers Just Might Work". Wired . Retrieved 20 January 2025.
  15. ↑ "My Journey Discussions". BlackHatWorld. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
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