Knowledge Base

DarkMatter is a decentralized, wallet-less (optional) marketplace infrastructure operating on the Tor network. We facilitate peer-to-peer commerce using Monero (XMR) and military-grade encryption. This specific website (Clearweb) acts solely as a verified directory and status monitor. We do not host the market itself here; we provide the cryptographic keys and onion links required to access it safely.

Trust no URL blindly. Phishing sites mimic the market interface to steal credentials.

1. Import the official DarkMatter PGP Public Key (available on our Mirrors page).
2. When accessing a mirror, look for the PGP Signed Message on the login screen.
3. Copy the entire message block into your PGP software (Kleopatra/GPG4Win).
4. Verify the signature. If it returns "Good Signature" from the DarkMatter Key ID, the site is authentic. If invalid, exit immediately.

The Tor network is subject to congestion and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. DarkMatter employs a rotational mirror system. If a main link is down, consult the 'Mirrors' page on this site for alternative V3 onion addresses. Ensure your Tor Browser is up to date and your system clock is synchronized to UTC, as time drift can cause connection failures.

Upon registration, you are issued a 12-word Mnemonic Seed. Save this offline immediately. We do not store passwords in plaintext, and we do not have administrative access to reset user passwords. If you lose your password and your seed, your account and wallet balance are permanently inaccessible. This is a non-custodial security feature.

While optional for buyers, PGP 2FA is mandatory for vendors and highly recommended for all users. When enabled, you must decrypt a PGP-challenge message to log in. This renders your account immune to password brute-forcing or phishing attacks where only credentials are stolen.

Bitcoin's ledger is public and transparent. Blockchain analysis firms can trace BTC transactions from exchanges to market wallets, deanonymizing users. DarkMatter accepts ONLY Monero (XMR). Monero enforces privacy via Ring Signatures, RingCT, and Stealth Addresses, ensuring sender, receiver, and amount remain mathematically obfuscated.

When an order is placed, XMR is moved to a temporary multisig holding wallet. The vendor is notified to ship. The funds are released to the vendor ONLY when the buyer marks the order as "Finalized/Received" or the auto-finalize timer expires. If a problem occurs, the buyer can "Dispute" the order, freezing the funds until a moderator investigates.

Finalize Early (FE) allows trusted, high-level vendors to receive funds immediately upon marking an order as shipped, bypassing escrow. This reduces vendor risk due to XMR volatility but increases buyer risk. Only enable FE for vendors with impeccable feedback scores (>500 transactions, 4.95+ rating).

To maintain marketplace quality and deter scammers, new vendor accounts require a non-refundable bond of $300 USD (paid in XMR). Established vendors from other markets (Archetyp, ASAP, etc.) can apply for a bond waiver by providing signed proof of ownership of their PGP key and profile stats via a support ticket.

Disputes are handled by our human moderation team. We analyze communication logs, shipping evidence (if applicable), and vendor/buyer history. We strongly advise all communication remain on-platform. Screenshots from external apps (Session, Telegram) are easily forged and often inadmissible as evidence.