How Is DarkNet Legitimately Used In The Real World?

Dark web and darknet routinely make headlines. It's crucial to comprehend the many lingo used to refer to the idea. The sheer intricacy of it in the cyber world is mind-boggling and difficult to detect or manage, yet how simple it is to use. Global law enforcement organizations are continually involved due to the accessibility of dark web forums where privacy-enabling technologies, intrusion tools, and vulnerable code are widely shared.

 

What is the Dark Web?

 

A portion of the internet known as the “black web” is not indexed by search engines. You've probably heard that the "dark web" is a hub for illicit activities, and that's true. Over a five-week period in 2015, researchers Daniel Moore and Thomas Rid of King's College in London categorized the content of 2,723 active dark web sites and discovered that 57% host illegal materials. 

 

The state of affairs has gotten worse, according to a 2019 study called Into the Web of Profit by Dr. Michael McGuires at the University of Surrey. Since 2016, there have been 20% more dark web listings that could harm businesses. 60% of all listings (apart from those that offer drugs) have the potential to hurt businesses.

 

Most users only use a small portion of the World Wide Web's freely accessible services and networks. This is referred to as the clearnet since search engines index them and the general public may easily find them. The deep web, on the other hand, consists of internet resources that are not easily accessible to everyone. Website back-end systems, online banking portals, and other services protected by passwords or other mechanisms fall under this category. 

 

The darknet is a distinct area of the deep web where users can browse in an encrypted and anonymous fashion. It gives people the chance to "circumvent" censorship, especially those who reside in nations with limited freedom of information. But it should be clear that its benefits also draw a huge number of people. A portion of the internet known as the "darknet" is inaccessible by conventional search engines like Google and conventional browsers like Chrome or Safari. It makes itself inaccessible to internet service providers (ISPs) and governmental entities due to the usage of non-standard communication protocols.

 

How does the DarkNet Work? 

 

The Dark Web is a sinister network of shady hackers dedicated to stealing corporate information, subverting governments, and using Bitcoin to sell narcotics to your children.

 

But is it? Hackers, activists, and criminals are all given access to the hidden and encrypted internet. It's a great platform for communication and privacy enhancement, as well as a great source for surprising headlines and racy YouTube tales. The Dark Web is a fascinating and seductive network of encrypted websites that can only be accessed with a complicated set of security tools. Grab a torch if you want to comprehend the hidden internet's truths.

 

Basically, all you need to do to access the deep web is have the proper credentials or access the right links. To access the darknet, you must install a specialized client, such as the Tor Browser, which hides the user's identity and obfuscates access. Through nodes that are largely untraceable, this browser can be used to view traditional websites. Additionally, the client must use specific darknet services. Access to "onion services" is entirely encrypted when using Tor. In contrast to typical websites, where the last request from the Tor network is made in cleartext, onion services make the user's identity more secure. 

 

As a result, numerous news sites and organizations for this reason, various news portals, organizations for human rights, freedom of speech and the press, as well as service providers and email providers concerned with data protection, use their own onion services as a supplement to their traditional websites. However, the special security and anonymity of the Tor network also attract cybercriminals who abuse the technology for illegal activities.

 

The onion router (ToR), which is used by the darkweb, ensures privacy. To prevent snooping by law enforcement and other intelligence services, this is being done. Darknet is extremely difficult to hack, according to experts, because of its end-to-end encryption. Only specialist browsers like Tor, Freenet, I2P, and Tails make it feasible to access the darknet and browse it anonymously. Your IP address cannot be traced using a privacy-focused browser like Tor because it routes web page requests through proxy servers. 

 

Use Cases of Dark Web 

 

The dark web typically evokes frightening and sinister mental images. While the dark web is undoubtedly the home of some dubious material, it also serves a number of useful purposes, including assisting civilians in avoiding government censorship and providing an additional layer of anonymity to email services.

 

Here are a few acceptable justifications for using the dark web.

 

1. Avoid the government's censorship:

 

Online anonymity has made it possible for people of nations with authoritarian governments to get around internet restrictions put in place by their government, while also enabling unlawful content to flourish on the dark web.

 

Governments all across the world make an effort to limit what their people can see online. A citizen's internet actions can be hidden from a government that is watching them via the dark web. Users could conceal information such as the websites they viewed and their location by using the dark web.

 

2. Services For Anonymous Email:

 

While there are many encrypted email services on the surface web, those seeking even more anonymity should visit the dark web. ProtonMail, which is supported by the Tor network and safeguards user privacy, fights censorship, and prevents user surveillance, is the most well-known email service available on the dark web.

 

There are additional dark web-only email providers; the most popular ones are Mail2Tor and Torbox, both of which require the Tor browser to use.

 

3. Visit News Outlets:

 

International governments occasionally ban news websites, despite the fact that anyone with an internet connection may access the web from anywhere in the globe. After establishing a presence on the dark web in 2016, the investigative news outlet ProPublica proved to be a useful instrument in the fight against this form of censorship.

 

Even if their government has prohibited ProPublica's website on the surface web in their nation, anyone can access it anonymously through Tor. Following ProPublica's example, the New York Times and the BBC both created dark web versions of their websites on the Tor network.

 

4. Availability of Academic Research:

 

Access to academic research can occasionally be prohibitively expensive; frequently, you must pay a significant amount only to read one paper. By providing free access to scholarly publications on its website, the American Journal of Freestanding Research Psychology on the dark web attempted to address this problem. Even better, since every academic paper hosted on the website was submitted by the original authors, there is no need to question whether accessing the publications is lawful.

 

5. Use search engines without ads:

 

The foundation of the internet is search engines, which make it simple and quick for users to find the information they need. However, adverts that are frequently included with search engine results may cause you to lose focus on your original search. On the dark web, some search engines, like DuckDuckGo, have mirrors. You can search the public internet here while maintaining your privacy and avoiding advertising.

 

6. Log on to social media:

 

A social media account on at least one of the most well-known platforms, such Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, is something that almost everyone with internet access possesses. The dark web has seen the emergence of several social media systems, with BlackBook, Galaxy, and TorBook being some of the most well-known.

 

Unexpectedly, some of our favorite surface-web social media companies, like Twitter and Facebook, have opened mirror sites on the dark web for users who want to dodge government surveillance.

 

7. Look for niche content:

 

Chess, which enables users to compete in an anonymous game of chess against a stranger, is one of the most well-known niche websites on the dark web. A well-known blog called Beneath VT is devoted to investigating the steam tunnels that run beneath Virginia Tech. The blog includes a map, a trip log, and a list of cautions regarding the risks involved in visiting the tunnels.

 

8. Listen to radio online:

 

Radio is no longer just heard through the radio waves. On the dark web, there are several radio stations that you can choose from. Deep Web Radio is one of the most well-known radio station websites on the dark web, where you may listen to a variety of stations that focus on various genres.

 

Who uses the Darknet?

 

Two groups in particular place a high emphasis on the anonymity of the darknet. The first group consists of individuals who require the technology's protection for their communications because they worry about being subjected to censorship and legal action in their own country. Politically oppressed people, dissidents, opposition figures from autocratically ruled nations, journalists, and whistleblowers are all included in this group. They can access content on the darknet that is blocked from them on the visible web because of political constraints. The darknet's anonymity also aids journalists in safeguarding their sources.

 

The second group comprises fraudsters and cybercriminals. They conduct unlawful commerce under the pretext of anonymity by taking use of the darknet's benefits. Darknet marketplaces are used to exchange items including malware, drugs, firearms, and illegal services. Authorities frequently succeed in revealing illicit portals on the darknet despite the operators' extensive defensive efforts. Most recently, German police with international assistance took DarkMarket, the largest illicit bazaar on the darknet, down. The platform is said to have seen transactions from about 500,000 users totaling more than €140 million.

 

To sum up,  Only certain clients can access the darknet, a different portion of the internet. The methods employed here guarantee the encryption and anonymization of requests. The owners and users of services on the darknet are difficult to pinpoint. The underlying technologies were created largely to make it possible for people who are extremely vulnerable to censorship to communicate and utilize online services in a secure manner. Politically persecuted people, citizens of authoritarian nations, journalists, and whistleblowers are some of them. Cybercriminals, however, also take advantage of the technologies for illicit purposes.