dark web

Over the past year we have been on a campaign to explain many internet buzzwords from the world wide web to deep web and dark net.

We see a lot of questions from the average internet user asking how they can be protected from the evils of the dark web that they keep hearing about in the media.

You often see questions on various online forums stating that if the dark web is synonymous with criminal activity and illegal black markets, why doesn’t the government just shut down the dark web. 

Why doesn’t the government just shut down the dark web?

If you fully understand the concepts you will see that shutting the dark web to combat criminal activity is an absurd idea based on false assumptions.

Many people make the assumption that all anonymous traffic is related to illegal activities. That's simply not true!

Take a moment to understand the dark web

The dark web is a complex communication system that exists to allow anonymous traffic. People living outside the U.S. don't always share our freedoms, like free speech. Dark nets are used to get information into and out of places where free speech can get you killed.

Onion Routing, the concept behind the dark web, was developed by the U.S. Naval Research Lab for anonymous communications. Tor (The Onion Router) is a nonprofit organization responsible for maintaining the software used in accessing the Tor networks.

The average internet user will never use Tor or visit an Onion site, but they are fearful of the media created boogie man that waits for them "on the dark web."  The media has made out the dark web to be some evil empire lurking in the darkness of the internet, waiting to reign fear and havoc on the innocent internet users just using the surface web in the light of day.

Shutting the dark web to combat black markets is an absurd idea

A television commercial offers to find if your personal information is on the dark web.

The first time I saw that Experian commercial, I immediately said, "Well that's really stupid!" (Maybe I added a few colorful adjectives as well to my shouted out remarks.)

Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Experian is preying on the fear of the dark web to sell their services. Let's just assume for the sake of this question that everything that is sold on the "dark web" is less than legal. (That's what Experian is implying.) Why would Experian have any special access to less than legal information, more so than anyone else? Does that make sense?

If Experian did have some sophisticated way of searching the dark web and finding less than legal databases of information, wouldn't they have a legal obligation to report their findings to the police or other government agencies, rather than offering this information as a service?

What information?

For the sake of this question, let's address the basic question of "what is the danger if your information is on the dark web?”

We all should be worried about all of our information on the deep web, just above "the evils" of the dark web.

Do a search on your name, does it bother you that your current address, age, employer, and contact information is so readily available on the public web? Does it bother you that there are so many websites on the internet, that are offering to sell you information about people?

If a hacker had downloaded an entire database of information illegally, why would they have the contents stored where someone could access it? (As Experian is implying.) Unless you are someone rich and famous where one single bit of information could be used to blackmail an individual, if a hacker steals a database, they are going to sell the entire database.

And you would trust Experian?