essay on dark web

October 31, 2018

Illuminating the Dark Web

It might sound scary, but the ‘dark web’ is not much different from the rest of the internet

By Robert Gehl & The Conversation US

Thomas Trutschel Getty Images

The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation , an online publication covering the latest research.

In the wake of recent violent events in the U.S., many people are expressing concern about the tone and content of online communications, including talk of the “dark web.” Despite the sinister-sounding phrase, there is not just one “dark web.” The term is actually fairly technical in origin, and is often used to describe some of the lesser-known corners of the internet. As I discuss in my new book, “ Weaving the Dark Web: Legitimacy on Freenet, Tor, and I2P ,” the online services that make up what has become called the “dark web” have been evolving since the early days of the commercial internet—but because of their technological differences, are not well understood by the public, policymakers or the media.

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As a result, people often think of the dark web as a place where people sell drugs or exchange stolen information—or as some rare section of the internet Google can’t crawl. It’s both, and neither, and much more.

Seeking anonymity and privacy

In brief, dark websites are just like any other website, containing whatever information its owners want to provide, and built with standard web technologies, like hosting software, HTML and JavaScript. Dark websites can be viewed by a standard web browser like Firefox or Chrome. The difference is that they can only be accessed through special network-routing software, which is designed to provide anonymity for both visitors to websites and publishers of these sites.

Websites on the dark web don’t end in “.com” or “.org” or other more common web address endings; they more often include long strings of letters and numbers, ending in “.onion” or “.i2p.” Those are signals that tell software like  Freenet ,  I2P  or  Tor  how to find dark websites while keeping users’ and hosts’ identities private.

Those programs got their start a couple of decades ago. In 1999, Irish computer scientist Ian Clarke started Freenet as a  peer-to-peer system for computers to distribute various types of data in a decentralized manner rather than through the more centralized structure of the mainstream internet. The structure of Freenet  separates the identity of the creator  of a file from its content, which made it attractive for people who wanted to host anonymous websites.

Not long after Freenet began, the  Tor Project  and the  Invisible Internet Project  developed  their own distinct methods  for  anonymously hosting websites .

Today, the more commonly used internet has billions of websites—but the dark web is tiny, with tens of thousands of sites at the most, at least according to the  various indexes and search engines  that crawl these three networks.

A more private web

The most commonly used of the three anonymous systems is  Tor  – which is so prominent that mainstream websites like Facebook, The New York Times and The Washington Post operate versions of their websites accessible  on Tor’s network . Obviously, those sites don’t seek to keep their identities secret, but they have piggybacked on Tor’s anonymizing web technology in order to allow users to connect privately and securely without governments knowing.

In addition, Tor’s system is set up to allow users to anonymously browse not only dark websites, but also regular websites. Using Tor to access the regular internet privately is much more  common than using it to browse the dark web .

Moral aspects of ‘dark’ browsing

Given the often sensationalized media coverage of the dark web, it’s understandable that people think the term “dark” is a moral judgment. Hitmen for hire, terrorist propaganda, child trafficking and exploitation, guns, drugs and stolen information markets do sound pretty dark.

Yet people commit crimes throughout the internet with some regularity—including trying to  hire killers on Craigslist  and  using Venmo to pay for drug purchases . One of the activities often associated with the dark web, terrorist propaganda, is  far more prevalent on the regular web .

Defining the dark web only by the bad things that happen there ignores the  innovative search engines  and  privacy-conscious social networking  – as well as important  blogging by political dissidents .

Even complaining that dark web information isn’t indexed by search engines misses the crucial reality that search engines never see huge swaths of the regular internet either—such as email traffic, online gaming activity, streaming video services, documents shared within corporations or on data-sharing services like Dropbox, academic and news articles behind paywalls, interactive databases and even posts on social media sites. Ultimately, though, the  dark web is indeed searchable as I explain in a chapter of my book.

Thus, as I suggest, a more accurate connotation of “dark” in “dark web” is found in the phrase “ going dark ”—moving communications out of clear and public channels and into encrypted or more private ones.

Managing anxieties

Focusing all this fear and moral judgment on the dark web risks both needlessly scaring people about online safety and erroneously reassuring them about online safety.

For instance, the financial services company Experian sells services that purport to “ monitor the dark web ” to alert customers when their personal data has been compromised by hackers and offered for sale online. Yet to sign up for that service, customers have to  give the company all sorts of personal information —including their Social Security number and email address—the very data they’re seeking to protect. And they have to hope that Experian doesn’t get hacked, as  its competitor Equifax was , compromising the personal data of  nearly every adult in the U.S.

It’s inaccurate to assume that online crime is based on the dark web—or that the only activity on the dark web is dangerous and illegal. It’s also inaccurate to see the dark web as content beyond the reach of search engines. Acting on these incorrect assumptions would encourage governments and corporations to want to monitor and police online activity—and risk giving public support to privacy-invading efforts.

This article was originally published on The Conversation . Read the original article .

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The dark web: what it is, how it works, and why it's not going away

by Timothy B. Lee

2014 saw the continued growth of the dark web, a collection of underground websites that allow people to engage in often-illegal activities beyond the reach of law enforcement. Here’s what the dark web is, how it works, and why it’s not going away any time soon.

What is the dark web?

The dark web is a general term for the seedier corners of the web, where people can interact online without worrying about the watchful eye of the authorities. Usually, these sites are guarded by encryption mechanisms such as Tor that allow users to visit them anonymously. But there are also sites that don’t rely on Tor, such as password-protected forums where hackers trade secrets and stolen credit card numbers, that can also be considered part of the dark web.

People use the dark web for a variety of purposes: buying and selling drugs, discussing hacking techniques and selling hacking services, trading child pornography, and so forth.

It’s important to remember that the technologies used to facilitate “dark web” activities aren’t inherently good or bad. The same technologies used by drug dealers and child pornographers to hide their identity can also be used by whistleblowers and dissidents in repressive regimes.

What’s Tor? Why is it important for the dark web?

( Jussi Mononen )

Tor, which stands for “the onion router,” is a technology that allows people to browse the web and access online services without revealing their identities. The Tor network consists of thousands of servers located all over the world. They’re run by volunteers seeking to bolster privacy rights.

When you browse the web using a Tor-based browser , your communications are automatically bounced off of several Tor servers before they reach their destination. The process makes it almost impossible for anyone to trace the traffic back to you. According to documents released by Ed Snowden, even the NSA has struggled to unmask Tor users.

Tor allows the creation of hidden services, websites that use the Tor network to hide their physical location. This technology has allowed the creation of websites devoted to illegal activities that are difficult for the authorities to trace and shut down.

Surprisingly, Tor was created with financial support from the US government, which wanted to promote the free flow of information. Government support for Tor has continued in recent years as part of the State Department’s internet freedom agenda, which seeks to help people in repressive regimes gain access to information censored by their governments.

While Tor has many illicit uses, it also has a lot of legitimate ones. For example, Facebook recently announced a version of its website that can be accessed over the Tor network, which will make it easier to access the site from countries that restrict the service, such as China and Iran.

What kind of information can you find on the dark web?

( photophilde )

Almost any type of illegal and legally questionable products and services can be found somewhere in the internet’s underground.

One of the best examples is the Silk Road , a now-defunct website that, for more than two years, operated as a kind of illicit eBay. The Silk Road was most famous for offering a wide variety of illegal drugs, but it offered other illicit products as well. You could buy fake IDs, pirated DVDs, fireworks, and stolen credit-card numbers.

The Silk Road website was a Tor hidden service, which made it difficult for the authorities to shut the site down. All transactions were conducted using Bitcoin , meaning they couldn’t be traced the way credit-card transactions can be. But eventually, law enforcement was able to identify the site’s alleged operator, who was arrested in 2013.

Almost immediately, copycat sites sprang up . A successor site called Silk Road 2 was founded in 2013, but it was infiltrated by law enforcement and shut down in 2014. Currently, one of the largest Silk Road successors is a site called Evolution. Ars Technica recently reported that it had 26,000 product listings.

Even these sites had some lines they weren’t willing to cross. For example, all three sites barred child pornography listings. But other dark web sites exist to help users find and distribute this kind of material. A recent study by computer scientist Gareth Owen suggested that sites related to child abuse and child pornography could account for as much as 80 percent of traffic to Tor hidden services (though hidden services account for a small fraction of Tor traffic overall).

Why has Bitcoin become popular on dark web sites?

If you tried to set up an illicit drug marketplace that used conventional credit cards, it wouldn’t last very long. For one thing, Visa and Mastercard rules would likely bar you from getting a merchant account. And customers would be wary of using a credit card linked to their real identity to make illicit purchases. You’d also have to worry about customers reversing charges after the goods had been delivered, since you can’t exactly go to the authorities if your customers rip you off.

In short, a digital black market needs the digital equivalent of cash. And that’s exactly what Bitcoin is. Bitcoin, like cash, allows transactions to be made anonymously. And with no one in charge of the Bitcoin network, there’s no one with the authority to block illicit transactions.

But we shouldn’t overstate Bitcoin’s anonymity. You don’t need to prove your identity before using the Bitcoin network the way you do with credit cards. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the authorities won’t be able to trace buyers and sellers. Indeed, information about every Bitcoin transaction is publicly available; by examining the pattern of transactions, the authorities may be able to tie a Bitcoin transaction to a real-world identity.

For example, the authorities were allegedly able to prove that the founder of Silk Road 2 cashed out $273,626.60 worth of bitcoins , then used some of the cash to buy a brand new Tesla Model S. We don’t know exactly how the authorities made this connection, but they may have subpoenaed the exchange that converted the bitcoins into dollars. Disguising bitcoin earnings is a complex and difficult task; one slip-up can reveal your real identity.

As with Tor, it’s important to note that not all, or even most, uses of the Bitcoin network are for illicit purposes. There are tens of thousands of legitimate businesses that accept Bitcoin. But criminals have been attracted to Bitcoin for the same reasons they’ve been attracted to conventional cash.

Is the dark web the same thing as the deep web?

No, the deep web is a broader concept. It refers to all online content that’s not accessible to search engines. That includes the internet’s underground economy, but it also includes mainstream websites that simply aren’t set up for Google’s and Bing’s web crawlers. For example, most of Facebook is part of the deep web: most Facebook content is only available to the poster’s friends, not the general public. Similarly, many searchable databases won’t come up in Google results even though anyone can access them.

Can the authorities ever stamp out the dark web?

( Daniel 'Bucko' Buxton )

The government is unlikely to ever fully suppress the dark web for the same reason that law enforcement has never been able to eliminate conventional black markets: there’s a lot of demand for the information and products offered on these sites, and there’s always going to be someone willing to take the risks involved in meeting that demand.

And these sites can earn a lot of money. Silk Road 2, for example, reportedly earned $8 million in a single month before it was shut down. That kind of money will always attract copycats who believe they can succeed where their predecessors had failed.

Moreover, the government probably can’t — and shouldn’t — shut down the underlying technologies that make the dark web possible. Tor provides crucial protection to dissidents and whistleblowers around the world. Bitcoin has the potential to produce significant innovations in the payments business. And shutting down these technologies won’t stop people from using the internet for illicit purposes. Most likely, these activities will simply shift overseas, where they will be even harder for American authorities to police.

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The Dark Web: A Dive Into the Darkest Side of the Internet

Proceedings of the International Conference on Innovative Computing & Communications (ICICC) 2020

6 Pages Posted: 14 May 2020

Divya yadav

HMR Institute of Technology & Management

Bharat Bhushan

Shivam saxena.

Date Written: May 12, 2020

The Internet has two main segments- “Surface Web” and “Deep Web”. Surface Web includes all the websites that are indexed and available to the general public whereas the webpages which are not indexed come under the category of deep web. However, the gravest part of the Deep web is the Dark web. The Dark web is the concealed content of the World Wide Web. It requires specialized software, authentication and some configuration to access. TOR (The Onion Router) is a multilayer encryption technique which provides secrecy and privacy to the user. Many researches and surveys investigated that a majority of internet users consider Deep Web and Dark Web as the same thing. In order to demystify the same and provide a structural analysis of the Internet, this paper sheds light on the current composition of the Internet and the portion of the World Wide Web held by surface web, deep web and the dark web. It also discusses how the dark web is different from the deep web, mechanism of accessing the deep web, tor browser and the benefits of the dark web along with some of the real-life applications.

Keywords: The dark web, Deep web, Encryption, TOR, Anonymous, Privacy, Access

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Divya Yadav (Contact Author)

Hmr institute of technology & management ( email ).

New Delhi New Delhi India

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Dark Web: Criminal Activity or Dissident Communication Essay

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Introduction

Ethical question, competing answers, personal answer, ethical support, implication of the answer to the ethical question, annotated bibliography.

In understanding if the Dark Web is a threat or an opportunity for people to be free, one serious step is usually missing. Instead of giving clear definitions and examples of web activities, users prefer to consider it as something bad and illegal due to the presence of the word “dark” in the title. However, one should remember about “Dark Knight” or “Dark Phoenix” to realize that “dark” may be illegal or unknown but not always bad or dangerous.

In the discussion of ethical issues in computing, the concept of the Dark Web may be treated from two major perspectives. It may be either a criminal activity that has to be controlled and banned or a place for dissident communication where people are free to demonstrate their desires and interests openly. Relying on Kant’s moral theory about maxims and results, this paper aims to answer the dilemma of legal and ethical appropriateness of the Dark Web in modern society and support the idea of human freedoms.

Nowadays, millions of people have already heard about the Dark Web and its ambiguous impact on computing and society. Many researchers begin their projects by comparing the Dark Web with an iceberg, meaning that more than 90% of the Internet content is hidden (Beckstrom and Lund 3; Croy 30; Weimann 196). It is hard to evaluate its true impact on the environment, and people use their subjective guesses to come to at least some conclusion. The Dark Web is a collection of websites in the encrypted network with the help of which search via traditional browsers is impossible (Croy 5).

Web browsers should have the Onion Router encryption tool (Tor), developed by the US Naval Research Laboratory for anonymous online communication, or the Invisible Internet Project (I2P) for censorship-resisted communication (Weimann 196). The Dark Web hides the sites ended with.onion or.i2p, and access to them requires a specific program with the “user to change the DNS server addresses in his or her router” (Gehl 1220). Such an opportunity to hide identities and introduce false locations has many benefits, as well as created certain threats.

A variety of options for ordinary users create a serious problem for society to understand a possible impact of the Dark Web on the present and the future. It is hard for people to understand if this theme requires an immediate and definite answer and attitude. The Dark Web fascinates people in keeping their identities a secret to discover dangerous or inhuman demands (child pornography or torturing) (Dewey). Therefore, a number of normative, ethical questions may be developed in terms of the chosen computer science and engineering topic. What should be the outcomes of the Dark Web usage if it is one-way considered as a place for dissident communication between free people instead of a criminal activity and a root of cyber terrorism? It is the ethical question that might not have a correct answer but could promote new technical discussions, ethical concerns, and subjective opinions.

Many competing answers about the Dark Web may occur from technical or ethical perspectives. In this discussion, attention is paid to the two options. First, the recognition of the Dark Web as a criminal activity helps control human actions but tighten up their freedoms. Second, the idea to use the Dark Web as the place for dissident communication does not question human freedoms but promotes the creation of a new social group of people with their needs and wants. According to Croy, “the Dark Web has become a global marketplace for illegal good and services”.

Such a statement proves the possibility of the correctness of the first answer. At the same time, Beckstrom and Lund ask to under the “true mission of these platforms” as “one of the most valuable tools for freedom and privacy the world has ever seen”. Dissident communication was not popular or allowed several decades ago, and now, certain progress was achieved. People have got what they wanted to get for centuries. The Dark Web opened the door to new opportunities, and it is time to decide either they are legal or not.

I strongly believe that despite obtained knowledge, experience, and achievements, a person is never able to estimate the true cost of his or her decisions. Time is the only unit of measurement for human actions. For example, people want to study as many subjects as possible to understand what they are good at with time. Groups of people migrate to find out new opportunities with time. Couples fall in love to get married and have children with time. In all these situations, it is impossible to understand if human decisions are successful or not. Therefore, they need time to come to a conclusion and understand what happens around.

Almost the same situation is observed around the Dark Web. If this network is defined as a criminal activity, society will be not able to understand its true pros and cons and treat it as something bad. Dewey says that “people are fascinated by these grotesque urban legends”, and they can hardly forget or neglect their desire to learn the truth. There are enough space and conditions under which the Dark Web may be identified as a place for dissident communication where people try their free will and choices. If the Dark Web is dangerous to human lives, people get to know about it with time, but they have to discover everything on their own.

To support my answer and define the Dark Web as the source of dissident communication, I would like to rely on the ethical theory developed by Kant. This philosopher believed that the morality of human actions depends on “its maxims rather than its results” or “what is within our control” (Shafer-Landau 164). Maxims are the actions people give themselves when they are going to do something (Shafer-Landau 163). Consequently, everything a person does or thinks is morally approved and right because it can be physically done. In other words, Kant’s theory strengthens my position about the necessity of the Dark Web because of the already evident possibility of its existence.

The Code of Ethics in the IEEE Computer Society is another strong evidence to explain the inevitability of the Dark Web in human lives. Among the existing eight principles, four of them depict a true picture of the situation. First, there is a product (the Dark Web or Tor) with achievable goals and standards for using. Second, it is expected by the public principle to accept responsibility for all the work done (“Code of Ethics”). Another principle, profession, helps develop a specific environment in an organization where knowledge, participation, and order are appreciated (“Code of Ethics”). Finally, the Dark Web is the place where support for colleagues and professional development are promoted. All these principles support the ideas of freedom of Kant’s theory and show that the Dark Web can be a legal enterprise.

The Dark Web is the concept with a number of supporters and opponents. Regarding Kant’s ethical theory and the list of principles in the Code of Ethics in computing, this network should not be identified as a criminal activity but rather an opportunity for dissident communication. Such a choice allows people knowing their options, staying free, and contributing to professional and personal growth. There will always be a chance to call the Dark Web illegal activity and impose controlling orders and rules. However, if human freedoms are questioned without the possibility to do what is wanted, new concerns and conflicts may arise.

The Dark Web is a result of someone’s work that is characterized by a high level of professionals and knowledge. My answer to consider it as dissident communication may be implied to multiple social and ethical discussions. People want to believe that they are free to choose or behave the way they want. Modern demands vary and are not mutually accepted and supported. Therefore, the presence of such places like the Dark Web is a good chance for people of different interests to be united and understood in terms of their principles and conceptions.

Beckstrom, Matthew, and Brady Lund. Casting Light on the Dark Web: A Guide for Safe Exploration. Rowman & Littlefield, 2019.

Despite the fact that society is not ready to trust the content of the Dark Web and continues questioning its appropriateness, Beckstrom and Lund offer a guide to prove the worthiness of the source. Each chapter has its specific topic concerning the Dark Web (definitions, history, usage, or development). Having clear explanations and distinctions between myths and realities, this source helps get a clear picture of what the Dark Web is, and what its ethical dilemmas are.

“Code of Ethics” IEEE Computer Society , 1999. Web.

The IEEE Computer Society is the author of this Code who pursues the goal to introduce and explain ethical basics of software engineering and professional practices. In addition to the public interest as one of the major principles, the Code underlines the worth of self, colleagues, employers, clients, profession, management, and judgment. The investigation of the ethical aspects of the Dark Web will be strengthened due to the possibility to remove ethical tensions and concerns and create an equal basis for analysis.

Croy, Anita. The Dark Web: The Covert World of Cybercrime. Greenhaven Publishing, 2018.

Croy focuses on the necessity to identify and describe crimes that happen on the Dark Web. The intentions of criminals may vary, and this book is based on clear definitions of computer crimes, identity theft, terrorism, and cyber warfare to explain how the Dark Web contributes to their growth and control. No author is ready for taking a side to either support or oppose the Dark Web, and the statements developed by Croy should help a researcher understand the basics for new visions.

Dewey, Caitlin. “In Search of the Darkest, Most Disturbing Content on the Internet” The Washington Post , 2015. Web.

The strength of this credible magazine article is a combination of statements and judgments at both technical and personal levels. On the one hand, people are free to access the Dark Web, using Tor or similar browsers. On the other hand, there are no guarantees that all the actions remain anonymous and safe. The popularity of the Dark Web is not only a scientific or social problem but an ethical challenge with the intention to comprehend why users are so ambiguous in their decisions about safety, quality, and freedom.

Gehl, Robert W. “Power/Freedom on the Dark Web: A Digital Ethnography of the Dark Web Social Network.” New Media & Society, vol. 18, no. 7, 2016, pp. 1219-1235.

There are many attempts to promote a better understanding of the Dark Web problems and benefits, and this journal article is one of the sources that contain an ethnographic exploration of the topic. The Dark Web is an experiment where people deal with their demons about power, freedom, and opportunities. Attention to the issues of anonymity, child pornography, and techno-elitism as community building gives a chance to unite positive and negative attitudes towards the Dark Web.

Shafer-Landau, Russ. The Fundamentals of Ethics . 4th ed., Oxford University Press, 2018.

An understanding of the essentials of moral philosophy is one of the major outcomes the readers of the book can achieve. Although there is no relation to the cyber environment and the Dark Web crimes, Shafer-Landau develops a discussion about ethical theories and philosophies about human actions and intentions. Kant’s theory evaluates the ultimate morality that neglects justice issues to improve well-being. The idea of the person’s desires and needs is above the results and outcomes, which is a good explanation of the Dark Web and the choice people make.

Weimann, Gabriel. “Going Dark: Terrorism on the Dark Web.” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, vol. 39, no. 3, 2015, pp. 195-206.

Although the Dark Web is not a new topic, people like developing various theories and attitudes towards this issue to come to one definite conclusion and define if it should be legal or not. In this article, Weimann initiates a discussion about terrorism that is observed on the Dark Web and recommendations for its monitoring. The recognition of hidden services and new domains is an obligation that cannot be ignored in cyber research.

• Threats of the Internet
• Effects of Files Sharing to the Sale of CDs
• History of Cyber Terrorism
• Kant’s Opinion on Morality
• "Cyber Warfare: A Misrepresentation of the True Cyber Threat" by Troy E. Smith
• Acceptable Use Policy and Digital Citizenship
• The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the Children’s Internet
• Wireless Local Area Network and Channel Fading
• The Internet of Things: Technical Description
• The Internet at Individual and Societal Levels
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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Bibliography

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Dark Web and Online Platforms

The problem statement.

The general problem being investigated is the impact of technological advancement in promoting drug crimes through online platforms such as the dark web. The technology change has allowed criminals to share, disseminate information and conduct drug crimes with high security, privacy and anonymity of critical data. For instance, through the use of the dark web, criminals operate under pseudonyms where tracing the criminal information is nearly impossible. The technology also implements encrypted communication where the communication in transit is changed to computer language that humans do not comprehend. In this regard, the investigative agencies cannot trace the originality, context and intended destination. The other online platforms, such as cryptocurrency, use technologies where the money transactions cannot be traced (Chomczyński et al., 2023). Therefore, criminals no longer use traditional banking systems where they can be easily monitored. The dark web has a global reach where criminals can conduct their activities to any other party across the globe. The dark web and other online platforms provide secure marketplaces like e-commerce websites where customers can review available products, review services, refer customers and seek help from customer support. The transaction between the buyer and sellers is secure through safe escrow technology, where the buyer’s money is secured until they receive the drugs. The dark web platforms require experts to investigate, which can take years or months. The complications of using the dark web platform allow criminals to evolve and persist due to slow investigations.

There are various vital issues the law enforcers and other relevant agencies must consider to combat drug crimes. The first issue is international cooperation, where nations must join hands and share information about drug crimes, particularly conducted through online platforms and the dark web. All nations must arrest and prosecute all drug traffickers using advanced technologies to facilitate the sales and production of illegal products. The other key issue is enhancing computer and IT expert skills and expertise to monitor, trace and arrest criminals using dark web to traffic drugs (Sahoo, 2023). Government agencies should develop more comprehensive laws and regulations that target dark web sites that facilitate drug trafficking. In this regard, a nation should create laws that equip investigative agencies with tools to penetrate and monitor activities on the dark web. In this connection, specific rules should also target cryptocurrency, facilitating the anonymity of finances and financial information. The goals to combat drug crimes in the dark web require the collaboration of international organizations, technological firms, and industries. The other key issue is to enhance skills through education, where students should be encouraged to take courses that enhance skills in online undercover operations. The specialized courses should provide skills in navigating the dark web effectively and gathering and identifying key players. The key issue is conducting community education and public awareness, where the citizens should be warned against using illegal products from the dark web. People should refrain from trafficking drugs since it has more negative effects on society, and they should be made aware of potential health hazards and legal and ethical consequences. The other issue of consideration is swift legal actions that require the development of courts specifically for prosecuting individuals who traffic drugs on the dark web. The law enforcers should ensure that dark web crime cases are solved promptly.

Research question

What are the roles played by online platforms and the dark web in facilitating the dissemination of drug crime information, resources, production, and sales of drugs, and do those advancements impact law enforcement to monitor, control, and regulate drug crimes? The research question requires a comprehensive data analysis from various potential sources. The first source is the law enforcement database bases and reports. The reports should consider analyzing information from international and national law agencies based on the number of arrests per year, investigation outcomes and prosecution data. The other sources include Interpol and Europol publications since they provide analyzed challenges, trends and advanced technologies that promote drug crimes. Data can also be gathered and analyzed from regulatory bodies and government agencies mandated to monitor the dark web and the criminal activities undertaken on the various online platforms. The other source is the peer-reviewed journals from Google Scholar, published within the last five years. Comparing results from multiple researchers will provide a better understanding of handling my research question. Getting data on open and close-ended quest questionnaires through interviews with law enforcement experts will be critical. The potential source of information is legal proceedings and court records involving high-profile drug trafficking, particularly in the dark web (Sudan et al., 2023). Cryptocurrency transaction analysis is only a potential source of information, particularly on popular sites like Bitcoin.

Throughout my project, I expect to identify trends in drug crimes, particularly on the online platforms and dark web. The information will be essential in preventing more drug crimes based on the trends. I also expect to identify the law enforcers’ challenges in combating drug crimes. The information will uncover loopholes and how to amend the laws to arrest and prosecute more drug traffickers. I expect to get criminal behaviour based on the impact of more advanced technologies. In this regard, I will pay more attention to people’s behaviour regarding encryption and the dark web. I expect to get data and provide comprehensive recommendations on laws, amendments, and policies to monitor the dark web and other online platforms used to conduct drug crimes.

Chomczyński, P. A., & Clark, T. W. (2023). Crime and the life course in another America: Collective trajectory in Mexican drug cartel dominated Communities.  Justice Quarterly ,  40 (2), 291-314.

Sahoo, G. (2023). A Critical Analysis of the Dark Side of the Dark Web. In  Advancements in Cybercrime Investigation and Digital Forensics  (pp. 205-227). Apple Academic Press.

Sudan, H. K., Tai, A. M. Y., Kim, J., & Krausz, R. M. (2023). Decrypting the crypto markets: Trends of the Dark Web drug trade over a decade.  Drug Science, Policy and Law ,  9 , 20503245231215668.

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Meet the Renegades of the Intellectual Dark Web

An alliance of heretics is making an end run around the mainstream conversation. Should we be listening?

Eric Weinstein Credit... Damon Winter/The New York Times

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By Bari Weiss

Photographs by Damon Winter

• May 8, 2018

Here are some things that you will hear when you sit down to dinner with the vanguard of the Intellectual Dark Web: There are fundamental biological differences between men and women. Free speech is under siege. Identity politics is a toxic ideology that is tearing American society apart. And we’re in a dangerous place if these ideas are considered “dark.”

I was meeting with Sam Harris, a neuroscientist; Eric Weinstein, a mathematician and managing director of Thiel Capital; the commentator and comedian Dave Rubin; and their spouses in a Los Angeles restaurant to talk about how they were turned into heretics. A decade ago, they argued, when Donald Trump was still hosting “The Apprentice,” none of these observations would have been considered taboo.

Today, people like them who dare venture into this “There Be Dragons” territory on the intellectual map have met with outrage and derision — even, or perhaps especially, from people who pride themselves on openness.

It’s a pattern that has become common in our new era of That Which Cannot Be Said. And it is the reason the Intellectual Dark Web, a term coined half-jokingly by Mr. Weinstein, came to exist.

What is the I.D.W. and who is a member of it? It’s hard to explain, which is both its beauty and its danger.

Most simply, it is a collection of iconoclastic thinkers, academic renegades and media personalities who are having a rolling conversation — on podcasts, YouTube and Twitter, and in sold-out auditoriums — that sound unlike anything else happening, at least publicly, in the culture right now. Feeling largely locked out of legacy outlets, they are rapidly building their own mass media channels.

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Dark Web (Darknet): Definition, Access, and Threats

Last updated on July 8, 2024 by ClearIAS Team

The dark web or darknet is in the news frequently. It is important to understand the different terminologies associated with the concept. As easy as it is available to use, the sheer complexity of it in the cyber world is baffling and hard to trace or control.

The easy availability of dark web forums dedicated to freely sharing privacy-enabling technologies, intrusion software, and exploitable code means global law enforcement agencies are constantly engaged.

Table of Contents

What is a dark web or darknet?

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The darknet is a part of the internet that cannot be accessed through traditional search engines like Google nor is it accessible by normal browsers like Chrome or Safari.

It uses non-standard communication protocols which make it inaccessible to internet service providers (ISPs) or government authorities.

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Surface web vs Deep Web vs Dark Web (DarkNet)

The World Wide Web (www) hosts the many connections of web pages on the network of computers connected through the internet. The www, or the web, consists of the ‘surface’ web and the ‘deep’ web.

The surface web is that portion that can be accessed by ordinary internet users using standard search engines like Google, Yahoo, etc. But it can retrieve only approximately 4 percent of the search results, while the majority of the results are hidden.

What is the deep web?

The deep web constitutes 96 percent of the web- the password-protected or paywall-protected websites, including online banking services , for instance, are considered a part of the deep web. Such websites hold information relating to accounts of millions of individuals that are not accessible to the entire web population. The content of personal databases like email accounts, social media accounts, scientific and academic databases, legal documents, etc. that are accessible to only a closed group also forms part of the deep web.

What is Darknet?

The darknet is a part of the deep web, but the deep web is accessible whereas the darknet is deliberately hidden.

The content of the darknet is encrypted and requires specific browsers such as TOR (The Onion Ring), FreeNet, Invisible Internet Project (I2P), TAILS (The Amnesic Incognito Live System), Whonix browser to access those pages.

TOR was developed by United States Naval Research laboratory employees to protect US intelligence communications online. It is termed so as the traffic from the browser created several layers like those of an Onion before reaching the destination site.

TOR is also used for legitimate purposes like secure and sensitive communications relating to medical ailments, helping law enforcement officials track down criminals, and assisting cybersecurity professionals to conduct security testing on their networks securely. It also provides access to social media websites in countries where they are banned. Using the Tor browser is not a criminal activity, although intelligence units keep track of Tor downloads to predict any possible criminal activity.

Also read: Dark Patterns

The exploitation of the dark web

The dark web has turned into the site of illegal transactions, posing a threat to cyberspace across multiple dimensions. Since anonymizers on the dark web make it difficult to track web patterns such as browsing history, location, etc., they are misused by criminals to hide their identities and carry out illegal activities.

The dark web market, ‘Silk Road’, was the first modern darknet market known for selling illegal drugs. This was taken down in 2013. But since then, users across the world have searched the online dark market to anonymously access weapons, credit card data, malware, Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS), stolen data, etc.

Criminal and terrorist activities: The anonymous chat rooms and communication services on the dark web make it an ideal platform for planning and coordinating dangerous criminal and terrorist activities.

Drug trafficking: In March 2021, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned people against the sale of counterfeit COVID-19 vaccines , particularly on the dark web. Fraud services like fake vaccines have the potential to exploit the huge unmet global demand for COVID-19 vaccines criminally.

Illegal activities like money laundering, drug trafficking, terrorism financing, ransomware , and cryptocurrencies on the dark web are all strongly linked to one another.

Challenges to regulate the dark web

Encryption technique and anonymity: This is one of the biggest challenges faced by the authorities- the dark web is completely anonymous making it difficult to attain sufficient information that could help combat cybercrimes and track criminals who exploit this space.

Cryptocurrency: Most financial transactions on the dark web are performed in cryptocurrencies which provide further anonymity. The technology of cryptocurrency called the blockchain is a digital ledger of transactions distributed across the network in which the blocks are cryptographically secured. It records information in a way that makes it difficult or impossible to modify or hack the system.

Bitcoin transactions have facilitated all kinds of illegal activities by cybercriminals and terrorists on the dark web and this has made it extremely difficult for law enforcement agencies to follow the trail of money to gather evidence of a crime. Regulation of cryptocurrencies is possible only concerning their legitimate use while a large portion of them can still be used for illegitimate purposes.

Way forward

The dark web is a complex environment having both benefits and disadvantages based on whether it is utilized or exploited by the user.

• Darknet helps to protect the right to freedom of information and online privacy of individuals and is therefore often used by journalists and other activists across the world to carry out communication safely and securely. At the same time, it is misused by miscreants giving rise to a series of crimes.
• Law enforcement agencies need to take a refined approach to protect the benefits of this space as well as eliminate the illegal activities in it.
• Cooperation between public and private organizations can help in dealing with the new and emerging technological challenges of the dark web, by providing solutions such as new encrypting tools, etc. Law enforcement agencies should actively take the help of sophisticated technologies like artificial intelligence , machine learning, etc.
• A specified regulation on the amount of personal data collected by various companies and their automatic deletion after a stipulated period could increase the efficiency of cyber systems to secure the data and prevent such incidents in the future to a large extent.
• The challenges of the trans-border nature of the dark web can be dealt with by sharing intelligence data across different sectors, agencies, and organizations.
• International cooperation in the form of multilateral exchanges through seminars, forums, and joint capacity-building exercises is highly beneficial in this regard.

Related article:  Dark patterns

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• Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-harris-delivers-campaign-remarks-in-arizona-after-visit-to-border

WATCH: Harris delivers campaign remarks in Arizona after visit to border

DOUGLAS, Ariz. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris walked a scrubby stretch along the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday and called for further tightening of asylum restrictions as she sought to project a tougher stance on illegal migration and address one of her biggest vulnerabilities in the November election..

Watch Harris’ remarks in the player above.

Harris’ push to further restrict asylum claims moves beyond President Joe Biden’s policy on an issue where her rival, former President Donald Trump, has an edge with voters. She balanced tough talk on policing the border with calls for a better way to welcome immigrants legally.

“I reject the false choice that suggests we must choose either between securing our border and creating a system that is orderly, safe and humane,” Harris said. “We can and we must do both.”

In her first trip to the international boundary since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee, Harris chatted with local Border Patrol leaders as they strode along a rust-colored stretch of wall built during Barack Obama’s presidency. Temperatures in Douglas, Arizona, neared 100 degrees during a conversation that lasted about half an hour.

Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris tours the border wall with Border Patrol agents, in Douglas, Arizona, Sept. 27, 2024. Photo by Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Later, Harris received a closed-door briefing at the Douglas port of entry on efforts to combat drug trafficking and improve the legal flow of goods and people across the border. Border Patrol agents have “a tough job” and deserve support to do it, she said.

Harris’ visit was designed as a rejoinder to Trump and his fellow Republicans, who have pounded her relentlessly over the Biden administration’s record on migration and fault the vice president for spending little time visiting the border during her time in the White House.

WATCH: Comparing Trump’s and Harris’ positions on immigration and border security

Immigration and border security are top issues in Arizona, the only battleground state that borders Mexico and one that contended with a record influx of asylum seekers last year. Voters favor Trump on migration, and Harris has gone on offense to improve her standing on the issue and defuse a key line of political attack for her opponent.

She used her remarks to challenge Trump’s own record on migration during his presidency, saying he did nothing to fix the legal immigration system or address an outdated asylum system. And she said he failed to solve a shortage of immigration judges and border agents.

Harris recounted how a sweeping bipartisan package aiming to overhaul the federal immigration system collapsed in Congress earlier this year after Trump urged top Republicans to oppose it.

“Donald Trump tanked it,” she said, so he could campaign on disorder at the border.

“He prefers to run on a problem instead of fixing a problem,” Harris added. “And the American people deserve a president who cares more about border security than playing political games and their personal political future.”

After the immigration legislation stalled, the Biden administration announced rules that bar migrants from being granted asylum when U.S. officials deem that the southern border is overwhelmed. Since then, arrests for illegal border crossings have fallen.

Harris’ plan to exceed Biden’s efforts at the border would include more serious criminal charges for people who repeatedly cross illegally and require asylum claims to be made at ports of entry.

She used her trip to remind voters about her work as attorney general of California in confronting crime along the border. She talked about helping to prosecute drug- and people-smuggling gangs that operated transnationally and at the border.

The vice president’s trip to Douglas thrusts the issue of immigration into the brightest spotlight yet less than six weeks before Election Day.

Trump didn’t wait for her to arrive there before pushing back. He pointed Friday to purported data about criminals entering the U.S. illegally in a bid to link Harris to violent crimes committed by migrants. In a scathing diatribe, he said “blood is on her hands.”

“These are hard, tough, vicious criminals that are free to roam in our country,” Trump said at a manufacturing plant in Michigan.

WATCH: Trump holds campaign event in Walker, Michigan

Earlier in the week, he told voters that “when Kamala speaks about the border, her credibility is less than zero.”

The Trump campaign has also countered with TV ads deriding the vice president as a failed “border czar.”

“Under Harris, over 10 million illegally here,” said one spot. However, estimates on how many people have entered the country illegally since the start of the Biden administration in 2021 vary widely.

Harris also never held the position of border czar. Instead, her assignment was to tackle the “root causes” of migration from three Central American nations — El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras — that were responsible for a significant share of border crossers.

As vice president, Harris has taken a long-term approach to an immediate problem, helping persuade multinational corporations and Latin American businesses to invest in the region. That, she argued, would create jobs and give locals more reasons to stay home rather than take the arduous trek north.

Still, Trump has continued to decry an “invasion” of border crossers.

Douglas, where Harris appeared, is an overwhelmingly Democratic border town in GOP-dominated Cochise County, where the Republicans on the board of supervisors are facing criminal charges for refusing to certify the 2022 election results. Trump was in the area last month, using a remote stretch of border wall and a pile of steel beams to draw a contrast between himself and Harris on border security.

The town of 16,000 people has strong ties to its much larger neighbor, Agua Prieta, Mexico, and a busy port of entry that’s slated for a long-sought upgrade. Many locals are as concerned with making legal border crossings more efficient as they are with combatting illegal ones.

Cooper reported from Phoenix.

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