The article highlights the legacy of Silk Road and its founder, Ross Ulbricht, who creatively integrated bitcoin as a transaction method in the platform, emphasizing the autonomy it provided users. Amid Silk Road's operations, bitcoin transactions, characterized by their immutability and pseudonymity, offered users a means of conducting business away from governmental control. Silk Road processed a massive volume of bitcoin transactions, but its reliance on trust in moderators and escrow systems posed challenges. Despite its innovative nature, the platform faced inherent risks, exemplified by the seizure of over 144,000 BTC by the U.S. government. The article argues that Silk Road's use of bitcoin diverged from the current crypto ecosystem, dominated by compliant platforms. Ultimately, Silk Road symbolizes a pivotal moment in the separation of 'bitcoin' and 'crypto', where Ulbricht aimed to foster financial independence, contrasting markedly with the compliant nature of many contemporary cryptocurrency applications.

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