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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

The dark web

156 replies

Humpfour · 09/12/2019 23:06

I'm 39 years old and today have just learnt from DBIL that there's such a thing as the 'Dark web'

I feel as though I've been living under a rock! Has anyone ever been on there before? Can you really hire a hitman and things or is DBIL exaggerating?

OP posts:
MarthasGinYard · 09/12/2019 23:52

'When I think of people using the dark web I always imagine people in dark rooms with massive old desk top PCs looking very suspect.'

Me too

On a smoky screen that only has black and red typing flashing on one of those huge old monitors that goes back about 3 foot

MrsToothyBitch · 09/12/2019 23:52

I've not been on it but a friend has used it for work (military). He wouldn't say much more than that except to advise against it.

A colleague looked on it out of curiosity- said he saw lots of drugs & weapons but was just being nosy. He said be careful.

cyclingmad · 10/12/2019 00:02

I have always been intrigued but put off using Tor incase my details can be tracked by someone or leaves me exposed to hackers...but this is probably an irrational fear

Thelnebriati · 10/12/2019 00:05

Its not irrational. Don't go there as a tourist.

JaneJeffer · 10/12/2019 00:06

Maude Grin

outherealone · 10/12/2019 00:08

seriously? when I assume you know what it's about? Your 'curiosity' has contributed to a child being horrifically abused - for anyone to even think about searching this is beyond me and vile

Jesus Christ. I work in child protection. Many many abusers operate in parks, holiday parks, beaches, swimming pools, public toilets, mainstream social media, regular date sites and, believe it or not, fora just like this one.
If you have used any of these at any time in your life that must also make you complicit in child abuse 🙄

clippyclippy · 10/12/2019 00:10

Tor is just like a different kind of browser. It's not like you just go on and instantly access all the illegal stuff. There's not some search engine where you type in "hitmen" or "drugs" and it all comes up. You have to know where to look.

Think of it like an encrypted messaging app. You can use it for things like privacy and evading government interference, and you can also use it for illegal purposes. But you don't just install the app and get a list of drug dealers' phone numbers pop up on your screen.

jesuschristsuperphwooar · 10/12/2019 00:12

This reply has been deleted

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aLilNonnyMouse · 10/12/2019 00:15

@jesuschristsuperphwooar grow up

saturnnc · 10/12/2019 00:17

@jesuschristsuperphwooar give over🤣 you're nuts

SpoonBlender · 10/12/2019 00:20

Fuck sake. "The dark web" indeed... it's just dumbass edgelords who think it's a cool name.

It's nothing more exciting than an anonymised version of the web. That's all. Nothing deep dark or scary about it, don't treat it like a bogeyman. It's largely run by privacy advocates, rather than criminals.

The intrinsic anonymity leads to the awfulness that it always does, yes - webshops for illegal drugs and whatnot. But there's also a vast amount of completely normal stuff on it - mostly geeky.

jesuschristsuperphwooar · 10/12/2019 00:21

Add message | Report | Message posteraLilNonnyMouse Tue 10-Dec-19 00:15:35
@jesuschristsuperphwooar grow up

errr - anything more to add other than that pearl of wisdom? Grin

Ebonyandivory2 · 10/12/2019 00:22

@jesuschristsuperphwooar you are seriously strange 😂 it’s a bloody browser of course normal people go on it. It’s not all seedy on there. You’re spouting about something you know absolutely nothing about. You’re just repeating the same hysteria you’ve heard. Grow up and simmer down

safariboot · 10/12/2019 00:22

I could access it if I want to.

I don't run Tor because I feel the abuse does more bad than the positive use does good. Thinking stuff like its use for paedophilia.

It's not as private as people using it think it is. Police forces and intelligence agencies have various attacks against Tor and criminals invariably make mistakes.

jesuschristsuperphwooar · 10/12/2019 00:23

saturnnc Tue 10-Dec-19 00:17:37
@jesuschristsuperphwooar give over🤣 you're nuts

ha! probably the most sensible post all night! Grin

Jumpi · 10/12/2019 00:25

@jesuschristsuperphwooar as it doesn’t only exist on the dark web, surely by using a browser and forum you too are contributing to these terrible things then?

MorganKitten · 10/12/2019 00:25

There’s some really interesting documentaries on it.

jesuschristsuperphwooar · 10/12/2019 00:29

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LittleDidSheKnow · 10/12/2019 00:29

Fuck sake. "The dark web" indeed... it's just dumbass edgelords who think it's a cool name.

It's nothing more exciting than an anonymised version of the web. That's all. Nothing deep dark or scary about it, don't treat it like a bogeyman. It's largely run by privacy advocates, rather than criminals.

You’re describing the deep web there. The dark web is the name given to the small part of the deep web that is used for nefarious purposes. The actual dodgy bit. The dark web is a part of the deep web.

There seems to be a lot of confusing the two on this thread.

TotalRecall · 10/12/2019 00:30

I’ve always been curious, but I’m a paranoid freak who assumes the government is watching my every move and watch way too many crime shows, so assume the FBI would be banging down my door. Blush

cyclingmad · 10/12/2019 00:32

so is it safe to use e.g. using it as browser because you want to be anonymous means your just as protected as if you used google in terms of people being able to hack you etc?

Just curious

managedmis · 10/12/2019 00:32

Is Tor the only server for the Dark Web? I'm guessing there are others?

aLilNonnyMouse · 10/12/2019 00:33

@LittleDidSheKnow

Not quite. Deep refers to anything that isn't indexed by a search engine. This includes pages that are only generated when you try and access them, and pages hidden behind a log in (think your settings page where you name change or change your password on mumsnet).

The Dark Web is a part of the web that can only be accessed via a specialised tool such as TOR. Since a normal web crawler can't access anything on the dark web it technically could be called the deep web, but they tend to be considered separate things.

aLilNonnyMouse · 10/12/2019 00:36

@managedmis TOR isn't a server.

The normal internet works by companies hosting a server, you connect to that server with your internet browser, and the page is given to you.

TOR has "nodes", when you try to connect to a page your request is bounced around lots of nodes until it reaches the server. The page is then bounded around nodes again before it gets back to you. This means that finding the origin of the page request is hard to pin down.

Anyone can set up a node, and if you have access to enough nodes then you can trace where requests are coming from. It's well known that the police own many of the nodes, and this is used to try and track down criminals.

TOR is not the only browser that is capable of bouncing around these nodes, there are several other ones. They are all connecting to the same "internet" though.

LittleDidSheKnow · 10/12/2019 00:39

aLilNonnyMouse

Not quite. 🙂
You’re talking about the darknet there, rather than the dark web!