Grams (search)

Grams was a search engine for Tor based darknet markets launched in April 2014, and closed in December 2017. The service allowed users to search multiple darknet markets for products like drugs and guns from a simple search interface, and also provided the capability for its users to hide their transactions through its bitcoin tumbler Helix. The services used a custom API to scrape listings from several markets such as Alpha Bay and others, to return search listings. The site is described by the Global Drug Policy Observatory to have "transformed how people search the hidden web". In May 2014 the site added Gramwords, a service similar to Google's AdWords search sponsorship system for vendors. Additionally their profile system allows for cross-market vendor contact details and reviews to be held centrally. Later that year in June the creators released Grams Flow, a clearnet to Tor redirection service serving various dark net sites and in November, a banner advertising network for Tor sites, TorAds which has not yet had much success. 'InfoDesk' allows central content and identity management for vendors, reducing the complexity of around maintaining presences on multiple markets. On December 9, 2017, the Grams administrator left a PGP signed message on the Reddit subreddit r/Grams stating that all Grams services, including the Helix tumbler, would be shut down on December 16, 2017.