Where is the dark web, and what's on it?

[Ari]

I keep seeing reference to 'The Dark Web' on news programs, the latest in connection with the paedophile that was jailed today.

But what is it? And where is it? Do you just Google it? And (apart from paedophile stuff obviously), what the hell is on it?

[Strudul]

http://bfy.tw/GgtM

[Einion Yrth]

Ari said:

I keep seeing reference to 'The Dark Web' on news programs, the latest in connection with the paedophile that was jailed today.

But what is it? And where is it? Do you just Google it? And (apart from paedophile stuff obviously), what the hell is on it?

You probably don't want Amber Rudd knowing that you know... just sayin'

[TwigtheWonderkid]

As I understand it, it contains stuff that any human being with the faintest shred of decency wouldn't want to access.

[Bear-n]

Katie Price?

[XCP]

'evening Cheltenham!

[anonymous-user]

Guns
Hitmen
Drugs

[RobDickinson]

Basics it's an encrypted part of the internet that's not visible to normal users, won't show in searches etc.

It's relatively easy to create your own if you have a little technical skill. So it's not one cohesive thing but a whole bunch of network that's just under the radar of normal.

[barryrs]

I was watching a program that said it was developed by the US Navy and leaked; makes me wonder just how anonymous it really is?

[Ari]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

As I understand it, it contains stuff that any human being with the faintest shred of decency wouldn't want to access.

I kind of get that. But is this just a part of the normal Internet that has been christened 'The Dark Web', or is it something totally seperate? Or am I just failing to comprehend what the Internet actually is?

I'm curious about how people find this kind of stuff in the first place (the Dark Web, not the stuff on it).

I'm also a bit astonished at some of the stuff people were doing for this particular person, and why others would get pleasure from it. One woman apparently sent him naked photos of her daughter. In what possible context could that ever be considered a remotely acceptable request - let alone actually going along with it.

[Zetec-S]

From what I understand you can't really "google it", as your normal web browser isn't set up to access it. So you need special software, and even then you need to know where to tell it to look.

I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will be around shortly, as to be honest I have no idea. It's one of those things which I don't think really exists, a bit like Bitcoin, unicorns and Jeremy Corbyn's policies...

[Ari]

RobDickinson said:

Basics it's an encrypted part of the internet that's not visible to normal users, won't show in searches etc.

It's relatively easy to create your own if you have a little technical skill. So it's not one cohesive thing but a whole bunch of network that's just under the radar of normal.

Okay, makes sense. But then how does anyone find it to use it?

[Strudul]

Ari said:

Okay, makes sense. But then how does anyone find it to use it?

https://thehiddenwiki.org/

[boxst]

Ari said:

Okay, makes sense. But then how does anyone find it to use it?

You download tor and then search for .onion sites. Like the 'normal' internet has google and www.whatever.com , there are search engines and all sites are xzy.onion .

You still have to go out of your way to find anything really dodgy, it isn't like the internet used to be when I first starting using it, where going anywhere near a hacking / illegal software site would immediately throw up child pornography and violent sites.

[marksx]

Ari said:

I'm curious about how people find this kind of stuff in the first place (the Dark Web, not the stuff on it).

I have no interest in anything on the 'dark web', yet my inquisitive mind wonders, if I wanted a wild weekend on the marching powder, and couldn't be bothered following the local range rovers around, how would you go about getting it online?

Baffles me.

If the internet is just a load of computers talking to each other, has someone just built another internet, that only talks to bad computers, in black cases?

Do you access with a secret password through a virtual back door?

Edited by marksx on Monday 19th February 21:05

[GrumpyTwig]

Ari said:

I keep seeing reference to 'The Dark Web' on news programs, the latest in connection with the paedophile that was jailed today.

But what is it? And where is it? Do you just Google it? And (apart from paedophile stuff obviously), what the hell is on it?

https://www.torproject.org/download/download-easy.html.en

Generally TOR, there is/have been other implementations and systems but TOR is the main thing. An encrypted internet on top of the internet where traffic onto the public internet occurs at certain points but between you and the exit the traffic is hopped between other locations.

Like in those films where they say someones bouncing their signal from a satellite or something like that, but multiple places and encrypted.

The negative press is probably both warranted as much as it is missing the benefits of such a system, that allows people oppressed or in situations where words can get them killed to freely communicate or access resources otherwise blocked.

It cleaned up a fair bit iirc, or at least the more horrendous aspects have driven deeper than the deep web. Silk Road was an ebay of all things criminal for example, though the story behind it and its creator is very interesting.

http://casefilepodcast.com/case-76-silk-road-part-...

Edited by GrumpyTwig on Monday 19th February 20:36

Edited by GrumpyTwig on Monday 19th February 20:37

[Scobblelotcher]

The anonymity of TOR which I presume everyone is talking about generally works well from what I've read, however there are various ways information can leak out of sessions if the person using TOR doesn't understand the technology well or doesn't understand OPSEC. Some famous bad guys have been caught even when using these technologies, there is a story of a terrible guy on the front page of the BBC today who used TOR to hide his horrible activities.

There are various other technologies out there that offer similar functionality and/or anonymity to varying degrees. The Invisible Internet Project is probably the best known of the other technologies.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I2P

I suspect there are some legitimate uses of this technology but unfortunately as ever, it's more often than not used for nefarious purposes.

Edited by Scobblelotcher on Monday 19th February 20:44

[LaurasOtherHalf]

If you want an enjoyable introduction to the dark web (and obviously without ever going anywhere near it) and enjoy podcasts/spoken word/audiobooks etc...
http://casefilepodcast.com/case-76-silk-road-part-...

Casefile podcast is available on the above link or iTunes or anywhere else you like to listen to online content. It's a true crime podcast but this weeks (and last and next-it's a three part'r) is all about the Silk Road.

Basically, Silk Road was one of the biggest things on the dark web and made it known to a lot of people, many due to being reported on by Gawker as it sought to make buying and selling illegal drugs easy on the 'net. All the while using some crypto-currency called bitcoin.
http://gawker.com/the-underground-website-where-yo...

Give it a listen, it's incredibly interesting.

[gooner1]

What the hell is played on the Dark Web Radio?

[bazza white]

Im a fairly curious person but never strayed into the dark web. TOR has its uses like communication during the turkish coup.

Even though encrypted can ISP's tell your using TOR. Does it not justbset alarm bells ringing for further investigation using TOR.