Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the Silk Road black market, has announced his own collection of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Auctioned on SuperRare, these digital works will be used to fund the multiple legal proceedings calling for the release of the young man, formerly known as Dread Pirate Roberts.
Silk Road creator launches NFTs collection
On Monday, November 29, 2021, Ross Ulbricht, the illustrious founder of Silk Road, announced the release of his own collection of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on Twitter. The collection will be auctioned on December 2. Note that the Twitter account behind the announcement is run by someone close to Ulbricht.
We are going to start the NFT auction at $1.
I want everyone to have a chance to participate, and I trust the community to find the right value.
Happy bidding and good luck! https://t.co/7aAJ94A69h
– Ross Ulbricht (@RealRossU) November 29, 2021
We’re going to start the NFT auction at $1. I want everyone to have a chance to participate, and I trust the community to determine the right price,” announced Ross Ulbricht’s official Twitter account.
The NFTs collection will include exclusive writings and artwork created by Ross Ulbricht from his childhood to adulthood. As a reminder, the young man, who was convicted of seven counts in February 2015, had set up the largest black market in internet crime in 2011.
This dark web platform allowed people to buy anything and everything with Bitcoin (BTC), such as weapons or drugs. Some of the works in the collection depict the trial or the life in a cell of the founder of Silk Road
Named Ross Ulbricht Genesis Collection NFT, the collection will be auctioned on the SuperRare platform, one of the Ethereum network’s leading non-fungible token platforms.
All works, including an “original animation” about Ulbricht’s experience in prison, will be compiled into a single NFT using the KSPEC protocol. This open source protocol allows artists to create non-fungible tokens of great complexity.
A collection of NFTs to get out of jail
With the proceeds from the auction, Ross Ulbricht hopes to launch Art4Giving, a charity “dedicated to alleviating the suffering of prisoners and their families”. Behind bars for 9 years, the mastermind behind Silk Road has developed a deep empathy for inmates and their loved ones
The families of prisoners also feel the worst part of incarceration: the separation from their loved ones. [There are many things we can do with the proceeds from this auction, but one idea I’m committed to is to help children travel to visit their mothers and fathers in prison,” says Ross Ulbricht in a blog post.
Profits from the sale of the NFTs will also go to Ross Ulbricht’s personal cause. The money raised will be used to fund “a trust dedicated to efforts to free Ross Ulbricht from life imprisonment”. The announcement mentions in particular the funding of “new legal proceedings”.
Since his arrest, Ulbricht’s relatives and family have been lobbying for his release from prison. In 2018, an appeal was filed with the US Supreme Court. The lawyers in charge of the case point out the crimes committed by several government agents and the many grey areas surrounding the Silk Road investigation. So far, the appeals have been unsuccessful.
Ross Ulbricht (the Silk Road founder who’s serving two life sentences plus 40 years) is having an NFT sale to raise money. And Bitcoin maximalists are vilifying him.
You brainlets have lost the fucking plot.
– Zack Voell (@zackvoell) November 30, 2021
Many Bitcoin maximalists have publicly opposed Ross Ulbricht’s initiative on social networks. Thanks to his important role in the adoption of the cryptocurrency, the Silk Road founder has indeed established himself as one of the most beloved figures among Bitcoin advocates.
Bitcoin was the only exchange currency on Silk Road, and Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency enthusiasts recognize Ross’ vision as one of the catalysts for blockchain adoption,” reads the site dedicated to the NFTs collection.
For some maximalists, strongly opposed to the rise of NFTs, the man who once called himself Dread Pirate Roberts has gone too far. By embracing non-fungible tokens, Ross Ulbricht has clearly deprived himself of the support of some bitcoiners.
