!Mediengruppe Bitnik’s bot released from custody

An automated shopping bot that was created to make purchases on dark web marketplaces using bitcoin has been released after it was seized few months back.

It came into limelight last fall after it bought, among other items, ecstasy pills from Agora, a dark web marketplace. The bot and its purchased items were put on display during an exhibition at the Kunst Halle St Gallen art gallery in St. Gallen, Switzerland.

According to a blog post dated 15^th January, the bot was taken into custody by the St Gallen public prosecutor's office, citing safety concerns.

!Mediengruppe Bitnik, the team behind the bot, recently announced in a new blog post that the bot had been released from custody and that it no longer faced the threat of prosecution in connection with the bot, writing:

"At the same time we also received the order for withdrawal of prosecution. In the order for withdrawal of prosecution the public prosecutor states that the possession of ecstasy was indeed a reasonable means for the purpose of sparking public debate about questions related to the exhibition."