WHAT IS THE DARK WEB?
Do you ever wonder how big the internet really is? Most users have probably never accessed anything besides the surface web, which includes websites such as Google, Wikipedia, Bing, etc. In fact, about 90% of the internet is actually invisible to the average user. According to Darren Guccione’s article, the two parts that account for majority of the internet are the deep and dark web.
The deep web is generally used to store medical, criminal, bank and government records; content that needs to be kept highly classified and protected. You usually need a specific URL and/or password to access this part of the internet. For the dark web it is a little more complicated than that.
Figure 1: The three components of the Internet
The dark web allows users to buy pretty much anything you can think of and without being traced. Ranging from weapons, drugs, counterfeit money, credit card credentials, to even body parts… the dark web has it all. You can even buy a hacker to do the dirty work for you.
HOW DOES THE DARK WEB WORK?
In order for users to remain anonymous, they need the Tor browser. Tor allows IP addresses to go untraceable by using various proxy servers all around the world. Once you’ve accessed the dark web, you can start using search engines (Grams, The Hidden Wiki), but its not easy.
The dark web is hard to navigate, chaotic and has a slow performance. Since the dark web is extremely illegal, websites are constantly getting shut down or changing to avoid being exposed. In 2016, researchers Daniel Moore and Thomas Rid studied the contents of the dark web over a 5-week period. They concluded in their book, Cryptopolitik and the Darknet, that of the 2,723 live dark websites, 57% hosted illicit material.
A dark website generally looks similar to the surface websites we see everyday, but the main difference is the endings to the URL. Surface websites end in .com, .org, .co, etc., but the dark websites end in .onion. This is “a special-use top level domain suffix designating an anonymous hidden service reachable via the Tor network”. Also, URLs within the dark web tend to consist of a bunch of random letters and numbers to make it hard for users to memorize.
Figure 2: Example of a dark web URL
To buy things on the dark web, one needs Bitcoin, which a crypto-currency that allows two parties to complete an transaction without knowing each other’s identity. But, just because you are anonymous does necessarily mean you are safe. The dark web is crawling with scammers and thieves.
IT”S NOT ALL BAD
Even though the dark web is booming with illegal activity, they are actually some positives to this mysterious and selective world. The Tor network was originally developed as an anonymous communications channel. Users have unlimited access to knowledge when using Tor. The information is endless; things such as books, political news, learning material, encryption services and much more.
Civilians from countries where internet access and/or free speech may be limited use the Tor browser to communicate. Government agencies may even use Tor to recruit staff, “hackers”, to help solve crime. Tor even has its own social network, including sites such as Blackbook or “the Facebook of Tor”.
Figure 3: Blackbook login page
Just like everything else in the world.. with good comes bad. The dark web offers users an incredible and boundless insight to various subjects. The dark web is a unique and completely different world; And if you are like me and love to stick your nose in places it doesn’t belong, take a trip into the deep dark underworld… just don’t buy anything.