When you think of the dark web, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Is it human trafficking, illegal drug trading, arms smuggling, or assassination bounties?
Since the infamous n-suite incident in South Korea, more and more people have gradually become aware of the existence of the dark web. People who know it describe it as mysterious, terrifying and lawless, but this has attracted more people to be curious to find out. But what does the dark web actually look like?
First of all, we must admit that the Internet that everyone can usually access only accounts for 4% of the entire network, but this does not mean that the remaining 96% are all dark webs. Most of them are legal deep webs. So what is What about the deep web?
For example, the network we browse every day is the surface network. Just like when we walk on the street, as long as it does not violate traffic regulations, you can go anywhere on this road or go shopping in a roadside store. , which is equivalent to our daily browsing of the web being basically unblocked, but the deep web is different from the openness of the shallow web. It is like residential buildings on both sides of the street. You must have a key or get the owner’s permission to enter and access.
In fact, our own locked QQ space, even our friends circle that only some people can see, and even our private mailboxes are all part of the deep web, so the 96% that we can’t reach are actually not terrible. Most of them Just some locked private space.
So is the dark web, like the deep web, usually legal?
The answer is of course no. If the deep web is a party that must be invited to attend, then the dark web is a masquerade where everyone must mask up. The dark web itself can be accessed, but with a special password. The connection method means that you must hide your identity. Most darknet users choose TOR, also called the onion network, which can hide most of your identity online.
The principle of TOR is extremely simple. It is to create several fake IP addresses through connections between multiple servers, and constantly transfer information to protect the deepest user identity. Similar to its effect, I2P technology is also called invisibility. Network or Garlic Network, its principle is to split the information into several pieces and send them to different IP addresses. They then send these fragmented information to the target to piece them together. In this way, even if an account is compromised, it will be difficult for the other party to do so. Decipher all information.
In general, the purpose of developing these two technologies is to protect user privacy, not to commit crimes.
In fact, the web page that 90% of TOR users visit the most is Facebook. The reason why they use TOR is the same as that of TOR creators. They just hate having their information collected by others. At the same time, there are also some legitimate websites on the dark web, such as Deep web. Redio Deep Web Radio is the oldest music website on the dark web. It is characterized by playing jazz 24 hours a day.
So why do we still think the dark web is rife with criminal activity?
Because unfettered freedom will inevitably breed crime, users on the dark web do not worry about being punished by the law. They can sell information or forge documents unscrupulously. There are also websites where you can get a set of high-quality replicas for only $3,000. U.S. documents can also wholesale stock market insider information or students’ private information.
In some places, you can also buy low-priced luxury goods. Their prices are only half of those in specialty stores. Because these products were bought by stealing other people’s credit cards, merchants are eager to convert them into cash and can only sell them at low prices.
In addition, guns, arms, and illegal drugs are sold directly on the shelves without any disguise. On the Silk Road, which was once the largest trading platform on QuanCian.com, 13,000 types of drugs were sold.
At this point, you are probably already eager to try your hand at the dark web. Don’t worry. Don’t forget that the dark web is a place where there is no law to protect you. It is possible that you paid for something, but the other party does not deliver the goods. , in that case you have no way to protect your rights, and there are also all kinds of scammers and swindlers there. You are very likely to be defrauded and lose a large amount of money, or be targeted by cultists, who will disrupt your daily life.
There is also a certain possibility that credit card passwords or online accounts were stolen by hidden phishing websites. The most important thing is that the dark web is no longer a lawless place. There are a large number of undercover police and informants inside, who monitor every illegal transaction. The trend of transactions, combined with offline arrest activities, has severely damaged illegal transactions on the dark web.
As the dark web is slowly becoming known to more and more people, the government’s crackdown on it is slowly becoming stricter. The dark web today is no longer as dark and arrogant as it was back then. Perhaps many years from now, a group of cyber archaeologists will find the dark web. The remains of the net, re-examining the once dark place.