Dark web

The dark web is the content that exists on , that use the but require specific software, configurations, or authorization to access. The dark web forms a small part of the , the part of the Web not by , although sometimes the term deep web is mistakenly used to refer specifically to the dark web. networks, as well as large, popular networks like , , , and operated by public organizations and individuals. Users of the dark web refer to the regular web as due to its nature. a reference to the network's suffix and the traffic anonymization technique of .

The dark web has often been conflated with the , the parts of the web not indexed (searchable) by search engines. The dark web forms a small part of the but requires custom software. This confusion dates back to at least 2009., the two terms have often been conflated, despite recommendations that they should be distinguished.

The deep and dark web are applications of integral internet features to provide privacy and anonymity.

See also: for more terminology history, and for privacy related issues.

Definition

Darknet websites are accessible only through networks such as ("The Onion Routing" project) and ("Invisible Internet Project"). While Tor focuses on providing anonymous access to the Internet, I2P specializes in allowing anonymous hosting of websites. in the scheme, which leads to the exit node. The complicated system makes it almost impossible to reproduce the node path and decrypt the information layer by layer.

The darknet is also used for illegal activity such as illegal trade, forums, and media exchange for pedophiles and terrorists., for example, launched a new version of its website available exclusively to Tor users.[22]

A December 2014 study by Gareth Owen from the found that the most commonly hosted type of content on Tor was , followed by , while the individual sites with the highest traffic were dedicated to operations (see attached metric). sites maintain a presence Sites associated with , related services and services are some of the most prolific., one of the three founders of the Tor Project, said that is the biggest hidden service. The Dark Web comprises only 3% of the traffic in the Tor network. gives the following breakdown of content by an alternative category set, highlighting the illicit use of .onion services.

Botnets

are often structured with their servers based on a censorship-resistant hidden service, creating a large amount of bot-related traffic.

Bitcoin services

services such as are often available on , and some – such as – offer darknet market integration. A research study undertaken by Jean-Loup Richet, a research fellow at , and carried out with the , highlighted new trends in the use of Bitcoin tumblers for purposes. With Bitcoin, people can hide their intentions as well as their identity. service which converted Bitcoin into an online game currency (such as gold coins in ) that will later be converted back into money.

Darknet markets

Commercial , which mediate transactions for and Diabolus Market Other markets sell Examination of price differences in Dark web markets versus prices in real life or over the World Wide Web have been attempted as well as studies in the quality of goods received over the Dark web. One such study was performed on Evolution, one of the most popular active from January 2013 to March 2015. Less is known about consumer motivations for accessing these marketplaces and factors associated with their use.[44]

Hacking groups and services

Many sell their services either individually or as a part of groups., hackforum, Trojanforge, , and the darknet market. and apparent pedophiles. Attempts to monitor this activity have been made through various government and private organizations, and an examination of the tools used can be found in the Procedia Computer Science journal. There are many scam .onion sites also present which end up giving tools for download that are infected with or .

Financing

Scott Dueweke the president and founder of Zebryx Consulting states that Russian cryptocurrency such as WebMoney and Perfect Money are behind the majority of the illegal actions.

Fraud services

There are numerous , and trading websites as well as fraud and counterfeiting services.

Hoaxes and unverified content

There are reports of and for hire, however, these are believed to be exclusively scams. The creator of , , was arrested by Homeland Security investigations (HSI) for his site and allegedly hiring a hitman to kill six people, although the charges were later dropped.

There is an that one can find on the dark web. The term "Red Room" has been coined based on the Japanese animation and urban legend of the same name. However, the evidence points toward all reported instances being .

On June 25, 2015, the was reviewed by Youtubers Obscure Horror Corner which they claimed to have found via the dark web. Various inconsistencies in the channel's reporting cast doubt on the reported version of events.

Phishing and scams

via cloned websites and other sites are numerous, with often advertised with fraudulent URLs.

Puzzles

Puzzles such as and successors will sometimes use hidden services in order to more anonymously provide clues, often increasing speculation as to the identity of their creators.[67]

Illegal pornography

There is regular action against sites distributing – often via compromising the site by distributing to the users. Sites use complex systems of guides, forums and community regulation..[74]

Terrorism

There are at least some real and fraudulent websites claiming to be used by (ISIS), including a fake one seized in . In the wake of the an actual such site was hacked by an affiliated hacker group and replaced with an advert for . Islamist group was found to be operating on the dark web at one time.[78]

Social media

Within the dark web, there exist emerging social media platforms similar to those on the World Wide Web. and other traditional social media platforms have begun to make dark-web versions of their websites to address problems associated with the traditional platforms and to continue their service in all areas of the World Wide Web.]

Although much of the dark web is innocuous, some prosecutors and government agencies are concerned that it is a haven for .

Specialist Clearweb news sites such as and was shut down by authorities in 2019 and its and hold some of the largest of content at any given time.

Popular sources of dark web links include , , , and other . and track dark-web goings-on for law enforcement purposes. now offers a dedicated dark web training program featuring technical information on Tor, and simulated darknet market takedowns. and announced the formation of a '' to focus on cybercrime. In November 2015 this team would be tasked with tackling child exploitation on the dark web as well as other cybercrime. released an extensive report on the dark web, noting the changing dynamic of how information is accessed and presented on it; characterized by the unknown, it is of increasing interest to researchers, law enforcement, and policymakers. and with other law enforcement agencies "when possible and necessary" regarding illegal content. The Russian-speaking underground offering a crime-as-a-service model is regarded as being particularly robust.[90]

Many individual , alternative , educators, and researchers are influential in their writing and speaking of the Darknet, and making its use clear to the general public.

Traditional media and news channels like have also featured articles examining the Darknet.

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