Is the Dark Web really the cesspit of the internet?

The Dark Web. The term was recently nominated for word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries, only to be beaten by an emoji, yes you heard that right. AN EMOJI. Jokes aside, the dark web is not an urban myth as some believe, but frighteningly real. Not to be confused with the deep web, the dark web forms a part of the world wide web where content is not indexed by search engines and is stored on secret servers and overlay networks.

Such content is not particularly difficult to find, but hide the servers and IP addresses that run them. With that said, I will not include instructions here for the sake of your own sanity. Rather, treat this article as a guide to the The Dark Web and not an endorsement for you to start looking for it…

Some say the dark web as the cesspit of the internet. This is true to some extent as the dark web consists mainly of content that is intentionally hidden from public eyes. Majority of the content is of an illicit nature and mainly consists of the following:

Hackers

Due to the complexity and secret nature of the platform, hackers thrive in the dark web landscape. Most cyber criminals are born in the depths of the dark web due to the sensitivity of data. Hidden secrets, identity information and stolen banking details are floating around on the dark web that make it a hacker’s paradise.

Assassination Markets

Bitcoin is taking the online world by storm and has since become a lucrative option for transactions on the dark web. With that said, it was only a matter of time before the platform was used for more sinister means. Various crowdfunded assassination services were started up, including anonymous users offering their services for hire.

DarkNet Markets

Think of the DarkNet Market as the Black Market of the Internet. Items such as weapons, drugs, currency and even unlicensed pharmaceuticals can be purchased using these illegal e-commerce platforms. The rise of BitCoin has certainly propelled such markets into the limelight but many goods on offer cannot be verified due to the nature of sellers and buyers alike.

Pornography & Snuff Films

The dark web is not governed or regulated by any country, company or person. With that said, morbid content such as child pornography and videos depicting murder and torture often thrive on the dark web platform. As of recently, law enforcement agencies all over the world have been actively monitoring the platform to reduce such content and putting perpetrators behind bars .

The Dark Web is certainly a hive for cybercrime. There is no questioning that. However, in recent years there have been reports of political activists using the platform to make a difference.

Freedom of speech often comes to mind, as the platform is essentially unregulated which enables activists to oppose suppressive states and entities from the shadows. These cases limited at best, and in no way condone the use of the dark web. Arguably, no good can come out from a platform that is not indexed by search engines and is intentionally hidden from the masses. With that said, the visible internet is growing exponentially and provides a wealth of information to billions every day. Therefore, one must acknowledge there is no reason for users to go looking for content that is not meant to be found.