Known for being easy to replicate with basic home equipment. Rhode Island: A favorite for its simplistic design.

The landscape that existed in 2012—dominated by centralized, public-facing websites like ID Chief—did not last. Between 2012 and 2015, law enforcement crackdowns forced most major vendors off the clear web. The market retreated to the encrypted "deep web," where vendors accepted digital currency for anonymity. The technology, however, continues to evolve, with modern forgery exploring deepfakes and AI generation.