The dark web

[Humpfour]

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?

It seems easy to access - you need a special browser. You can’t search it like Google - you need the address of the site. A lot use it for personal : privacy reasons but it’s infamous for crime - hacking, fraud, data theft, drugs, weapons, red rooms, hard core illegal pornography, snuff etc.

Basically you would need a very good reason to go there AND know enough to protect yourself. It’s not something you’d wander around and surf. A lot of sites are hidden and accessible via invitation eg think chat rooms for perverts.

I wouldn’t go anywhere near it unless you’re seriously computer literate and have a very clear and legal destination in mind.

Surely the point of it is that anything illegal is well-hidden and cannot be simply stumbled across by a browse around? Some posters make it sound like once you’re in, you’re presented with a ‘Welcome to the Dark Web’ guide that tells you where to click for hitmen, child porn or Class A drugs. Like some nefarious version of those touch screens in a shopping centre that tell you which way to Debenhams

Yes, Ive heard of it- people use a VPN to access it to protect their identity. I have zero curiosity to go there. Its mainly to buy drugs, horrible, abusive porn, and other criminal stuff. I dont know why anyone would find that exciting or interesting- the idea of accidentally stumbling across drug dealing or child porn is horrifying to me.

It blows my mind.
It blows. My mind that there is the Internet without Google!
It's not for me, I can hardly navigate windows and Google 😕☺️

As others have said you just need a TOR

My son went on it out of curiosity and you can indeed buy guns, drugs, even poisons etc .
You should not enlarge the page however , for some reason, and a warning comes up
Me, never been on it , no interest in it .

Then why does the dark web even exist? If its all celeb gossip and harmless chit chat, why the need for VPNs? Sorry - i dont buy it. Curious now- why do you go on there?

I've been on to look at the Silk Road marketplace but didn't stray too far as I didn't want to see anything really horrific (and I didn't, I don't think it's easy to just stumble upon that kind of stuff). There are pages offering hitman services but I think they're almost entirely scams - it's not like you've got any recourse if they take your money and disappear. Silk Road was interesting though, the crazy things they sell on there, with buyer reviews just like eBay or Amazon.

Yes, Ive heard of it- people use a VPN to access it to protect their identity.

Then why does the dark web even exist? If its all celeb gossip and harmless chit chat, why the need for VPNs?

VPNs and the darknet are separate things. Virtual Private Networks are encrypted point-to-point connections that cannot be intercepted. They are used all over the place - mainly by employers ensuring secure remote access to their systems.

The TOR Project was set up to allow people to access the web from countries whose human rights records are less than stellar. The sort of countries that would lock you up (or worse) if they caught you looking at a page about Tibet (for example).

Personally I think the TOR project was compromised early on - hence I wouldn't trust it to be as anonymous as people think.

If you wanted to communicate anonymously on the internet it's trivial if you know how. But TOR and VPNs aren't the way.

Out of curiosity were any of you online before google? Or online before the www?

I submitted a few revisions to the KERMIT project in 1986, and my name is archived there (which is fun when being interviewed by a 30-something "expert" ...). I also worked on a couple of the RFCs for email as part of my final year project. Given how little email is used these days, I really consider it a waste of time.

I also did a bit of work on the original Linux kernel. But a combination of dial up, and waiting 6 hours for a full compile made it a loss less fun than you'd think.

Hi ..there most certainly is a dark side to the dark web the drugs,guns sex it is all there if you invest the time to look for it but by using the Tor browser it gives you an extra layer of annonimity should you want it. I know some one who works for a major retailer and they all use tor as an operating browser ..it means they can keep their eye on the competition and plan stratergies,nothing wrong with that ..its a way of keeping one step ahead in business. Go and have a look its really not what you think! There is a sinister side to it as with anything if you are going to reaserch the weird stuff you will find it.If you want to do some shopping you will find it....there really is no mystery to it.

Doesn't DuckDuckGo browser give you anonymity though, without needing Tor?
I always used to use that (not a Google fan, find them really intrusive) but I found out that DDG will bypass the porn blockers on the wifi so I removed it from the computer.
Am a bit scared of the deep web!

Be careful you don't stumble into Dark Mumsnet. That really is a nest if vipers

Agree- so my point still stands- if you can use a VPN for non dark web activities that guarantees privacy- why do people go to the dark web? what is it you can access on the dark web that you cannot access online in the normal route? Thats what I'm asking as some people seem to be implying the dark web is fine and all the hype about criminal activities is highly exaggerated. So, Im still curious- if the dark web is absolutely fine and most of the risk is exaggerated then what are people accessing on there that they are unable to access via the normal route?

Then why does the dark web even exist? If its all celeb gossip and harmless chit chat, why the need for VPNs? Sorry - i dont buy it. Curious now- why do you go on there?

I don't go there but its terrifying what your internet browsing can be used against you big time. Imagine you're a rape victim, and it gets dragged before the courts that you were curious about BDSM or stumbled into anime porn world.

I've read about it and it sounds awful. Terrible, evil people doing horrible things which shame humanity and filming themselves while doing so. Don't go there unless you are a law enforcer trying to crack these things as it would make you despair of the human race. We must constantly remind ourselves that they are a small minority.

I know some one who works for a major retailer and they all use tor as an operating browser ..it means they can keep their eye on the competition and plan strategies,nothing wrong with that

Unless you're trying to evade competition laws, of course.

There is a lot of media hype and crap about the dark web. It isnt illegal to browse or use the so called dark web. A lot of it is about personal end to end privacy. As with so many things, people use it to do illegal things but then again ,motorists use their perfectly legal cars to do illegal things also.

There is a lot of media hype and crap about the dark web. It isnt illegal to browse or use the so called dark web. A lot of it is about personal end to end privacy.

If you really don't want people to know what you're up to on the internet, it's probably best not to use the internet ...

I think we all have a right to privacy wherever we are. Im no expert but i would expect that the security services have developed strategies to track people of interest by monitoring things such as their mobile phone traffic and location and internet use. We just dont hear that much about it.

I think we all have a right to privacy wherever we are. Im no expert but i would expect that the security services have developed strategies to track people of interest by monitoring things such as their mobile phone traffic and location and internet use. We just dont hear that much about it.

On the contrary, we hear about it all the time when they are clamouring for new powers to snoop and keep swathes of records on us all. (Which isn't to disagree with your point about a right to privacy).

If you really don't want people to know what you're up to on the internet, it's probably best not to use the internet ...

that's way too sensible and will never be followed

Doesn't DuckDuckGo browser give you anonymity though, without needing Tor?

DuckDuckGo doesn't track or store your searches. That's it. That's not the same as actually hiding your web activity. The police/government/nefarious forces can still obtain a record of every search you make through DuckDuckGo if they request it from/demand it from/secretly monitor/hack your internet service provider.

With Tor, that is theoretically not possible. These days, it's highly unlikely that it's completely impossible, but it certainly would be more difficult.

if you can use a VPN for non dark web activities that guarantees privacy- why do people go to the dark web? what is it you can access on the dark web that you cannot access online in the normal route?

It's probably useful in places like China, where personal freedom is restricted and journalists regularly get locked up, etc. Even in the west, whistleblowers, journalists, etc. would benefit from more secure internet browsing and communications. For some people, it's just the principle. It's like that old argument: if you have nothing to hide, why do you care about ID cards and CCTV on every street corner and all that. Some people are totally innocent but are concerned about that stuff anyway. As they are entitled to be!

And yes, there is a larger proportion of illegal activity there – obviously a more secure, hidden environment is going to be more attractive to criminals! And most normal people don't ever need to use it. I know I don't. But people saying "don't go there! it's bad! Logging onto Tor supports terrorists and paedophiles!" etc. show a fundamental misunderstanding of the entire issue. Which is not surprising, since it's kind of complex and the media love to sensationalise it.

The "dark web" is not just something you log onto and instantly access hitmen, drugs, child abuse and terrorism. You still need to know how to find those websites and you still need to actively visit them, just like you do with illegal websites accessible on the normal web via Chrome or Mozilla or whatever.

What always amazes me is the people who let Amazon and Google assistant into every corner of their lives. It's so creepy to me! But yeah, I'm not so desperate for privacy when that I would go to the dark Web. I asked about DuckDuckGo-does that not give enough privacy for people who are not up to anything dodgy??

X post goodluck
Ok..but my issue is that I don't want to be targeted or kept track of by businesses. Why would I mind if the police looked at my searches if I'm not doing anything illegal? And what nefarious forces?? Just wondering.