Deep in the wilds of the World Wide Web, where search engine indexing does not reach, is the “Deep Web” or “Invisible Internet” - a world of prohibited sites and illegal activities. The mere fact of penetration there may attract the attention of special services.
Or is it completely wrong? Here are the top 10 interesting facts about Darknet and the Deep Network, which may make you take a fresh look at the World Wide Web.
10. Darknet is only a small part of the Deep Network
There are three levels of the Internet:
- Visible - Surface Web.
- Deep - Deep Web.
- Bottom - DarkNet.
Often the words Deep Web and DarkNet are used synonymously, although this is not the case. What is the Deep Web? In simple terms, it is part of the Internet that is hidden from search engines such as Yandex or Google. This can be, for example, paid content available on the site, or your personal data on the social network, access to which you have closed from strangers, etc.
And DarkNet, aka “The Dark Web” and “The Dark Network”, is a hidden and anonymous network that you won’t get into using a regular browser. To dive there you will need special encryption software. This means that users can communicate more freely and not be afraid of control by the government.
9. Many of the Darknet sites are completely innocent
Matt Wilson, chief information security adviser at BTB Security, an American company, said that "there is a boring / wretched side of Darknet that is likely to come as a surprise to most people."
You can exchange recipes with videos, read e-books, discuss various issues, or perform other actions that do not pose a direct or hidden threat.
People use Darknet for completely innocent things for various reasons: the desire to avoid tracking Internet habits, rejection of censorship, or simply the desire not to be like everyone else.
And the Dark Web is a safe haven for journalists, informants, and citizens living in dictatorial regimes.
8. To get to Darknet, you need to use the browser The Onion Router (TOR)
The Onion Router (TOR) is the most popular browser used to explore the dark corners of the Internet.
It is a proxy server system that allows you to maintain anonymity when visiting online resources, instant messaging and other actions performed on the Web. All data transmission in TOR is encrypted.
TOR can give you access to the entire Web, and not just to the Dark Web. Therefore, many users use it for anonymous surfing the Internet.
However, some hackers have found a way to bypass encryption in TOR, so it is safer to use TOR in combination with a VPN.
7. Sites in Darknet use the .onion domain
Sites with the .onion pseudo top-level domain can only be accessed using specific browsers such as TOR. As a result, such resources are much more difficult to track.
However, you cannot just launch your TOR browser and enter a query like “10000 credit card data.” Most of the resources hosted on Darknet are available by invitation only. It is hardly possible to find the correct address on your own, which consists of a chaotic mixture of letters and numbers.
You may have to take a test before the invitation — for example, to do something that law enforcement officials should not do.
6. Viewing Darknet is not illegal
The illegality of entering the Darknet is one of the common misconceptions. But in fact, using the TOR browser or visiting .onion sites for respectable purposes is not illegal in Russia.
You can browse websites or even chat in many forums on the dark side until you use them for illegal business operations or begin to distribute prohibited content (such as, in particular, extremist posts, the justification of Nazism and calls for mass riots).
Remember that from 2016 in Russia there has been a law of non-reporting (Article 206.6 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Failure to report a crime”), which provides for a fine of up to 100 thousand rubles or 1 year in prison (or correctional labor) if it is proved that the person knew about the impending crime of a terrorist nature, but didn’t tell where he should be, with the exception of not reporting to close relatives or spouse.
5. Much Darknet Software Uses EULA Terms of Service
Fun feature: malware that has migrated to the Internet on the Internet often uses EULA. I wonder if the author of the program is ready to get out of the dark and sue someone who violates the terms of this agreement?
4. Most sites selling anything in Darknet are fraudulent
There are places in the Dark Network where you can buy anything - from illegal software and content to a drug laboratory, prescription drugs and weapons. However, when you buy something prohibited in Darknet, the chance that the goods will be delivered to your home is not too great.
Like this. The seller can easily run away with both your money and your self-esteem. Where are you going to complain?
Some Darknet markets, such as the now defunct Silk Road, showed a rating of confidence in suppliers. But even this does not save from sellers who have earned a high rating, and subsequently wanted to “throw money” on new buyers.
3. For most financial transactions in the Dark Network, bitcoins are used.
Bitcoin is a virtual currency perfect for Darknet. It allows users to do business anonymously. Bitcoins cannot be faked and very difficult (although not impossible) to track.
Other types of cryptocurrencies can be used for sales in Darknet, but bitcoin is the most popular of them.
2. Why won't Darknet be closed?
Darknet's strength is that this network cannot be turned off in only one place. If you pull the plug from the American or Russian side, the rest of the Dark Network does not cease to exist.
When the Darknet website really needs to be closed, several agencies work together to make this happen. For example, if US law enforcement officials want to close a resource that sells Dutch marijuana, they will need the help of the Dutch police, Europol, and possibly a number of other departments and authorities.
Below is a screenshot of a specific site, the closure of which required the cooperation of at least ten different agencies from several countries. The fact that all these institutions had to work together to achieve the goal shows how difficult it is to get rid of at least one part of Darknet, not to mention the whole thing.
In addition to the inability of a state to completely shut down Darknet, the United States and, probably, many other countries also benefit from its presence, even if illegal deeds are committed there. The hidden network is still used by special services as a reliable channel for communication. It is also one of the best tools for transmitting incriminating evidence to political and other prominent figures. Of course, this is a double-edged sword that has been proven by WikiLeaks and the activities of Edward Snowden.
Thus, Darknet can be both a useful and a dangerous place on the World Wide Web. It all depends on your intentions.
1. The strangest purchase in Darknet
This funny and slightly sad story leads a compilation of interesting facts about Darknet. It has both non-standard demand and a very expensive offer.
In 2010, two British men were arrested for illegally selling their seminal fluid on the Dark Web. Seed transactions brought an entrepreneurial British approximately $ 330,000. The seminal fluid was not screened for any disease. These two people make up only a small part of the male biomaterial market in Darknet.
But why do people buy such a service? The fact is that in some countries, for example, in Canada, the law does not allow the purchase or sale of seed. And women who want to become a mother, but do not have a partner or friends who could donate such a valuable liquid to them, are forced to go to the Dark Internet, where there is everything.
