Around the world, people use search engines to search the internet, but these search engines don’t dig very deep. There is a much darker “underground” on the internet that Google, Bing, Yahoo, or other search engines don’t even touch. When a person has the knowledge, they can dig deep into the internet to find things that they won’t find with the typical Google search.
It’s called the “dark web.”
What exactly is the dark web? There are three parts to the internet: the surface web, deep web, and dark web.
The surface web is where you are right now. It’s where you find www.DeVoreLawOffice.com, Facebook, Amazon, and all of the everyday websites that you use. The deep web is the “invisible web” because the content isn’t seen by search engines, so it isn’t indexed. Some areas of the invisible web can be accessed using a URL, but there are other parts that require login credentials to gain access. Amazingly, deep web is hundreds of times larger than the internet you are used to using each day.
It is the dark web where things can get nasty and that is where some people get into serious trouble. It’s small and special software called The Onion Router or “TOR” must be used to access it. Communications are anonymous and where internet traffic is coming or going is obscured. It’s the anonymity that draws people to it, especially since a lot of illegal activity happens at this level. This is where online drug sales, child pornography, and stolen financial data move.
The Dark Web and Black Markets
Just like on the surface web, the dark web has websites. Silk Road was a black-market website that was created so illegal goods could trade hands. Everything from Oxycontin to pirated movies were being sold on this website. It was shut down in 2013 and the person who created it is spending the rest of his life in prison.
Other black-market websites have popped up, such as AlphaBay and BesaMafia. AlphaBay was generating nearly $1 million per day. Just like Silk Road, it was shut down. BesaMafia was a site where a person could hire a hitman to kill someone. Just like Silk Road, BesaMafia was shut down as well.
The shutting down of these websites shows that the dark web doesn’t offer complete protection against getting caught. Compared to the surface web and even the deep web, it’s simply a little more difficult to find people responsible for illegal activities on the dark web. It may take the government more time to catch the bad guys, but the capability is there. This is how many people are caught distributing child pornography, selling personal data of unsuspecting victims, and trafficking drugs.
The Not-So-Dark Side of the Dark Web
There’s also a not-so-dark side of the dark web. Edward Snowden, who blew the whistle on the mass surveillance program being conducted by the U.S. government, used the dark web to distribute the information to media outlets. Whistleblowing isn’t illegal, but there are times that actions on the dark web are deemed legal or illegal simply based on perspective.
Journalists also use the dark web to be untraceable as they are obtaining details on stories with information so sensitive that they could be harmed if their identities are realized.
In some countries around the world, the dark web can be used by citizens to access websites that their governments have blocked.
What If You Are Accused of a Dark Web-Related Crime?
Sometimes, the area can be very gray, resulting in a criminal accusation. Because the internet is a form of communication, an alleged crime committed using it can be charged as a federal offense. In this case, you need a criminal defense lawyer who is well-versed in the dark web and has experience with the federal and state courts.
If you are being investigated for an internet crime, call DeVore Criminal Defense immediately at 651-435-6500 for a free consultation.
Posted 17th April 2018 by DeVore Criminal Defense