Buying Goods To Make Nuclear Weapons On eBay, Alibaba, and Other Platforms

Lasrick (2629253) writes The blossoming of online Internet-trading platforms has at least one downside: insufficient inspectors and product controls when it comes to goods relevant to nuclear proliferation. "On Alibaba (and other platforms), one can purchase many of the specialized items needed for the manufacture of nuclear weapons. A short list of items advertised for sale on the site include metals suitable for centrifuge manufacturing, gauges and pumps for centrifuge cascades for uranium enrichment, metallurgical casting equipment suitable for making nuclear weapon 'pits,' and high-speed cameras suitable for use in nuclear weapon diagnostic tests. A company on an Alibaba-owned Chinese Internet-trading platform even posted an ad for the sale of the rare metal gallium, which the seller trumpeted could be used to stabilize plutonium." Although many companies have strict compliance procedures in place to help avoid proliferation, many do not. There are several procedures these platforms can put into place to minimize risk, and both national (and international) regulators have a role to play, as well as shareholders.

Comments

Re:If so damn many people are making nukes

[Lasrick]

I think you might want to switch to Reddit.

Re:If so damn many people are making nukes

[cold fjord]

Name any chemical and I'll find a way to make a bomb out of that crap.

Argon.

H2O2 can be used to make the explosive TAPT which is popular with the Islamist extremist crowd, and which has been used in multiple attacks including the 2005 London bombings.

Dual-use regulation is inconvenient, not bullshit.