Kill List exposes fear and loathing on the Dark Web

A Dark Web investigation lands a journalist at the centre of a terrifying murder-for-hire plot.

Photo: Supplied

Most of us have lain awake at night, wondering if we pressed send on a crucial work email. We’ve anxiously tossed and turned, unsure if we said something stupid in a meeting.

But I’d hazard a guess few of us have eschewed sleep altogether out of fear a stranger might die if they failed to pick up the phone.

That’s the very predicament in which tech journalist Carl Miller found himself in the early days of the pandemic, when – alongside a long-time collaborator – he managed to hack into a Dark Web murder-for-hire site.

The site turned out to be a scam, designed to fleece users out of cryptocurrency, but Miller discovered the intentions of the individuals ordering the hits were very real.

Unable to rouse much interest from law enforcement about the seriousness of the situation, Miller and his hastily assembled team of freelancers set out to warn the targets about the threat against them.

Kill List is the product of this years-long investigation by Carl Miller and his team into the Dark Web’s apparently booming murder-for-hire business.

At the conclusion of the initial six-episode run – which resulted in dozens of convictions in jurisdictions around the world – Miller and his team revisit some of the names on that list, discussing with the targets how it all came to this.

The podcast is meticulous in its execution – for want of a better word – and Miller’s vulnerability about what must be a truly mind-bending experience is commendable.

The rabbit holes the podcast goes down are captivating to those of us who use the internet for its intended purpose (dog videos, DIY hacks, and recipes, in my case), and these difficult stories are sensitively told.

But there are frustrations, too.

Re-enactments of the “kill orders” placed via the website are intentionally distorted in line with the Dark Web vibe of the series. But what adds an element of intrigue early in the piece wears thin after dozens of episodes. It also makes it difficult to discern what’s being said in some instances.

Some of Miller’s early interactions with targets named on the kill list had me exasperatedly yelling at my phone.

“It’s to do with scam sites on the internet, although it’s reasonably sensitive in nature,” Miller explains to a Canadian man with a US$5,500 bounty on his head.

“No, it’s not, Carl!” I rage inwardly. “Somebody wants this man dead! Quit burying the lede!”

I don’t purport to know the most effective way to tell someone that a friend, family member, vexed lover, or business associate has taken out a hit on them. God willing, I never have to find out.

But I have to assume the first and only thing people hear in some of these cold calls is the word “scam”, and so probably assume they’re being accused of perpetrating one, or that they’re being scammed themselves. Many, unsurprisingly, end the conversations, leaving Miller and his team wondering why somebody wouldn’t want to know about the plot to kill them.

Fortunately, as the series progresses, Miller’s ability to convey the seriousness and urgency of the situation vastly improves and law enforcement (mostly) comes along for the ride, numerous lives apparently having been saved as a result.

Kristen Amiet is the producer of The Australian’s daily news podcast, The Front. Kill List is available now wherever you listen to podcasts.