The Australian government is deciding whether to extradite to the United States an alleged moderator of Silk Road, a website where people buy illegal drugs using digital currency bitcoin.

Peter Phillip Nash, 41, from Queensland, and two other men are accused of conspiracy to engage in narcotics trafficking, computer hacking and money laundering.

Nash appeared in court on Friday where he formally waived extradition rights. The charges followed the arrest in October of alleged Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, known online as "Dread Pirate Roberts".