THE DARK WEB AND ITS ISSUES ON THE INTERNET 1
The Dark Web and Its Issues on the Internet
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THE DARK WEB AND ITS ISSUES ON THE INTERNET 2
Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3
Understanding Online Privacy.....................................................................................................................4
Social organization and structure of stolen data.........................................................................................5
The Dark Web on “Surfing the Silk Road” (the Drug Marketplace)..............................................................7
BitCoin and the Dark Web...........................................................................................................................9
a. Bitcoin cash system and its issues.....................................................................................................9
b. Bitcoin and environmental pollution..............................................................................................10
c. Cryptopolitik and the Darknet.........................................................................................................10
Social Media and Fake News.....................................................................................................................11
a. The Internet and the fake news market..........................................................................................12
b. Fake news in the 2016 United States Presidential election crusade...............................................13
Darknet Market and Nuclear Proliferation................................................................................................14
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................15
References.................................................................................................................................................16
THE DARK WEB AND ITS ISSUES ON THE INTERNET 3
Introduction
In the current world, the Internet has been helpful for many users concerning interaction,
sharing of data as well as communication. However, with befits comes with some issues mainly
concerning hacking and retrieval of an individual’s information without the owner’s consent and
this affects the people because their data can be utilized malicious ending up in changing their
private life as well as economically. Therefore, the term darknet, which is incorporated in the
dark web, means using the Internet in a way that is complex for the authorities and other non-
state actors to screen (Verstraete, Bambauer, &Bambauer, 2017). It is mainly accomplished
through layering networks or by encryption. The darknet users utilize software that achieves this
and uses other people’s information for their advantages both socially and economically. They
use this advantage to target most of the Internet users who do not comprehend on the way to
manually “mine” server databases to index online sites based on keywords (Gehl, 2016). For
instance, for website browsing using Tor, users are exposed to some websites that are not
accessible on commercial browsers, and this exposes them to risks of the dark web and darknet
and the become on the threat list of losing their private information to hackers and online pirates
and this affects them concerning the real intentions of the pirates. Therefore, there is some truth
regarding the J. Bartlett that statement “The Dark Web is a world of power and freedom: of
expression, of creativity, of information, of ideas.” The online pirates and hackers can freely
access other people’s information at will using their computer knowledge, and this has been
experienced in the recent past as well as in the current situation (Gehl, 2016). However, this is
illegal, and also it is unethical because it leaves some people suffering from the evils committed
by the deep web and dark net users.
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Understanding Online Privacy
It is significant for the individual on the web to understand their various rights and
protection against hackers, mainly the black hats, who obtain peoples online information without
their consent. Moreover, such data ends up on being misused or damaging the reputation of the
owner. Some information will lead to severe consequences including blackmail, terrorist
activities, and damage to reputation. The phrase online piracy is usually shared among the
people; nonetheless, what it means is what individuals do not comprehend. However, the
definition of such a term ought to engage some form of legal penalty. A standard definition of
online piracy is a broad category, which encompasses various practices but offers little by way of
clearly definable borders. The term online piracy refers to the act of duplicating as well as
distributing intellectual property without the knowledge or the consent of the owners or the rights
holders. Therefore, online piracy describes any practice of piracy utilizing computer networks
and the Internet as a mechanism for the duplication as well as the distribution of the content to
other people either for social or economic purposes.
Millions of individuals are currently online, utilizing peer-to-peer networks to share
billions of documents that contain copyrighted material including movies, music as well as
software, and it is expected that this number will increase in the recent future as the Internet
users across the globe. A constant growing user baser; nonetheless, does not make for the
overwhelming juggernaut that some more expressive Internet subscribers make P2P as well as
the online piracy out to be. Unbeknownst to most of the users of the P2, there exists a silent
battle taking place behind the scenes of the peer-to-peer developers as well as subscribers, one
side, as well as the intellectual property sector and device production industry as well as the
device producers, on the other. Presently, it may appear that the P2P subscribers are winning;
however, the ones who control the technologies, which describe and define the setting in which
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online piracy effect are probable to have the final say concerning the matter, irrespective of the
faults regarding the copyright law.
Whereas online piracy will consistently be in place, it is not entirely far-fetched to
believe that the intellectual property sector, as well as device producers, will make it adequately
inconvenient top thwart average internet subscribers and users from selecting the pirate digital
content. As this takes place, there some of the people that are losing in the hands of the online
pirates and black hats because of the dark webs and the darknet aided by their connections with
the transgressed cultures that lead them pirates in doing so. Therefore, it can be argued that the
statement provided by J. Bartlett is not correct, mainly concerning ethics because these people
are using other people’s intellectual property for their benefit and not from the applicable and
acceptable behavior concerning property laws. Even though the pirates have access to the
information and files provided the others, these are not their intellectual property and; hence, the
issue is not acceptable, and the creativity, data, power and freedom, and expression cannot be
awarded to the users and proprietors of the dark web and the darknet.
Social organization and structure of stolen data
Over the past years, studies have indicated that both the social as well as computer
sciences have started to evaluate online communities, which makes it able for the sale of stolen
credit cards, together with information as well as services to access funds from the victim
accounts. The data and services vendor can be utilized to unlawful obtain finances form the
online accounts of the victims, buy products and services, and even steal personal identities.
Various studies suggest that actor have to engage with another person through the Internet Relay
Chat (IRC) as well as web-based mediums whose subscribers communicate in Cyrillic language,
though an insignificant percentage function in English. The websites where the sellers and
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purchasers come together as also divided, with open markets populated by less skilled
participants whereas with greater experience and knowledge involved in closed markets, which
are hidden from outsiders. Therefore, the latter population is in a position to manipulate the
information of the unskilled and use this information to get their private data and this result in
stealing of data and using it for other malicious practices.
The sales procedure starts when sellers post an ad for a service or a product. The adverts
stipulate the cost for information or services as well as the seller’s favored mode of agreement
and prospective purchasers make contact to get involved in the contract or transaction online.
Furthermore, negotiations, as well as the real deals, are completed through email or ICQ,
although some also use private messaging within mediums for communication purposes.
However, the hidden characteristic of the transactions together with the inadequacy of official
dispute resolution mechanisms forces participating parties to discover ways to gain trust as well
as sanction people who take advantage of the potential purchasers.
Therefore, the statement by J. Bartlett may be right because people have been utilizing
their experience and knowledge in engaging in various activities on the Internet to perform
multiple transactions for their benefits. However, it is unethical to engage in such practices
because they affect the lives of other people by stealing their private data and utilizing it to
manipulate their finances as well as transactions. Such economically and socially affects the
victims because their money is used by other people that include the hackers in the dark web.
Moreover, the dark web also provides an avenue for the black hat hackers who can usually steal
private information and utilize it for blackmailing or for their other malicious ideas and practices
that affect a person a certain proportion of the population changing their social, political, and
economic standpoints. Hence, these power and freedom of creativity, information, expression as
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well as ideas as expressed by J. Bartlett does not hold waters because some of the people take
advantage of the other people’s information to satisfy their interests while the victims end up
suffering in the process. On the other hand, the dark web is as described by J. Bartlett because it
offers some people power and freedom of acquiring information and it also depends on
creativity.
The Dark Web on “Surfing the Silk Road” (the Drug Marketplace)
The proliferation of the web-based selling and buying of drugs win the modern cyber
drug sectors, and markets are rising and affecting the public health, and the law enforcement is
concerned regarding the issue according to Van Hout& Bingham (2013). The online drug
marketplace has been referred to as the ‘Silk Road’ and had been deep-rooted on the dark wet as
well as in the dark web and it is accessible via computer encrypting software known as (Tor),
which is supported by online transactions utilizing the peer to peer untraceable and anonymous
cryptocurrency or the BitCoins. Although the dark web gives the individuals the power as well as
the freedom to transact, express, transact, get information and ideas on the Internet, and
creativity it results into negatives in the society because it promotes illegal businesses that are
carried out online using the crypto-currencies that include the famous bitcoin. Moreover, various
drug trading sites exist, and they have increased the illicit drug trade across the world because
the users were utilizing the dark webs and the dark nets cannot be traced and; hence, it makes it
difficult for the law enforcement officer cannot be able to fight with the drug dealers. Such
affects various people as well as the economy of the country.
For instance, Christin (2013) ‘Silk Road’ vendor revenue was approximated to be $1.9
million per month in 2012. Therefore, this affects people both socially and economically and;
hence, the dark web and the darknet are affecting the important aspects of the society.
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Furthermore, the transactions and operations of the vendors are managed or controlled by the site
via the purchasing of new accounts that are auctioned to the highest bidders. Moreover, the sites
utilize online transaction platforms such as ‘Escrow” system to facilitate accurate transaction and
calculations between the drug dealers and vendors and provide an untraceable transaction for
their dealings. Besides, the transaction anonymity is enabled through ‘tumbler” services of the
dummy as well as the single-use intermediaries between buyers and vendors. Nonetheless, the
programs such as ‘Escrow’ system seem to be efficient in policing the dark web, vendor liability,
as well as all the transactions that take place in the process. These transactions can also be wiped
out of the ‘Escrow” system and; hence, they are not traceable by the authorities, and these make
the drug business across the internet thrive or what is commonly referred to as the ‘Silk Road.’
Furthermore, these sites have made sure that the shipments of the illicit products such as drugs
and other contraband are reportedly masked utilizing vacuum sealed ‘professional looking’
packing as well as the use of fake and false names and postal addresses according to Van Hout&
Bingham (2013).
Besides in the modern time, the studies on ‘Silk Road’ are limited investigations and
investigation site screening work by Barratt, Lenton, Maddox & Allen, (2016) and
Christin(2013) as a case study by Van Hout, & Bingham, 2013). Therefore, the users’ realities,
as well as experiences of the ‘Silk Road’ as the modern virtual drug and illegal transacting site or
marketplace, remain unclear because the topic is under-researched. Therefore, even though the
internet has been used for positive things like communication, interaction, education, as well as
other social factors, the dark web, and the dark net, have created some negatives because they
have encouraged through the proliferation of drugs across the world. Therefore, it should be
noted that the statement by J. Bartlett concerning the deep web and the darknet and their
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transgressed cultures as being positive because he says that it is power and freedom, creativity,
information, and ideas as well as expression.
BitCoin and the Dark Web
a. Bitcoin cash system and its issues
Online commerce has come to depend almost completely on the financial organizations
serving as trusted 3rd parties to electronic payments. Whereas the platform works adequately
well for most transactions, there are some intrinsic flaws of the trust-based model. Non-
Reversible transactions are not undoubtedly possible since monetary institutions cannot
circumvent mediating disputes (Nakamoto, 2017). The expense of mediation increases
transaction costs and this limits the minimum practical transaction volume as well as cutting off
the prospect for the minor casual transactions, and there exists a broader cost in the loss of
capability to make non-reversible payments for such kind of services. With the probability of
reversal, the requirement for reliance spreads. Traders and businesses must be wary of their
clients, hassling for more data than they would else require (Nakamoto, 2017).
A particular percentage of scam is accepted as inevitable. These expenses, as well as
payments uncertainties, can be thwarted in person through the use of physical currency;
however, no mechanism exists that can make such payments over a communications channel in
the absence of a trusted party (Nakamoto, 2017). Therefore, some hackers use this opportunity
either to reverse the transaction payments. Hence, there is a possibility that either of sides, the
buyers or the sellers to lose their money in such transaction when one party or a hacker or any
other individual using the dark web is involved in the process. The dark nets have increased such
fraudulent transaction using the cryptocurrencies including the BitCoins because they cannot be
traced since they use websites such as Tor that generates other non-traceable sites.
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b. Bitcoin and environmental pollution
Bitcoin has various ecological impacts in the future. Currently, this cryptocurrency
generates as much carbon dioxide per year as a million transatlantic flights. Moreover, the
number is set to increase in future by design. The cryptocurrency is fundamentally a
computational race amongst a peer-to-peer network to crack increasingly complicated algorithms
without any built-in utility or meaning, calculations, which require ever more processing power
to complete, consuming energy devastatingly sourced from the fossil fuels. In the period of the
rising climate crisis, resultant mainly from carbon emissions, it is a technological inventiveness
of violence towards the modern as well as future generations (Lawrence, 2018).
The scaling of the cryptocurrency as well as the proliferation of similar technologies
backed by the dark web and various darknets, and the activities that would all but look in
violence and profound climatic instability including the extreme weather occurrences and the
collapsing food as well as water security to increasing levels of the sea and the loss of
biodiversity in the decades to come. Therefore, even though the BitCoin has made the only
financial transaction easier, like the dark web and dark nets operations, it is causing more harm
than good regarding environmental pollution (Lawrence, 2018). In the future, this pollution will
increase the resulting in increased pollution effects such as global warming, food and water
crisis, changes in climate and other that affect the human life.
c. Cryptopolitik and the Darknet
Cryptography is linked with the dark web and darknet, and websites such as Tor are
utilized in the process through encryption. Some of the people that use the bitcoins as well as
other cryptocurrencies seek the services of the dark web so that their identities cannot be relived
and take this opportunity to scam and fraud others in their business dealings (Moore & Rid,
2016). The issues have raised concerns in the recent past, and it is being addressed even though
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it seems to be hard to handle it accordingly. Therefore, because of the increased knowledge as
well as levels of encryption adopted by the dark web and darknet users across the world it has
become almost impossible to handle the situation since they increase their Internet technology on
a daily basis. Even the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been puzzled by the dark nets
despite their increased efforts to fight it.
Moreover, Cryptopolitik is affecting the citizens mainly in the United States of America
and has become an essential test of the liberal democracy in the country in the twenty-first
century (Moore & Rid, 2016). The trigger has become a dilemma where the power of ciphers
protects the people when they bank, read, and shop online, and the abilities of the ciphers also
protect the foreign people, criminals, and terrorists when they pry, steal, or plot all because of the
dark web. Besides, encryption tolerates directly on the modern’s two top risks or dangers,
computer-network breaches as well as militant extremism, yet makes it is capable concerning
prosperity of the maintenance of legal and fairgrounds of transactions and interaction between
the partakers.
Social Media and Fake News
Concerning the results of the 2016 United States of America presidential election, it was
supposed that fake new might have been essential in the election of President Donald Trump.
There are specific concerns regarding the false stories that have been presented over the internet
in recent years. For instance, the best example can be traced back in 2016 United States
presidential elections were rumors, as well as false information, leaked all over the social media
(Allcott&Gentzkow, 2017). With the help of the dark web and darknets as well as their
transgressed cultures many people did spread “fake news” and a large part of the population
considered this news or information as the real one and this affected the voting process to some
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extent. According to Gottfried & Shearer (2016) the United States of American citizens has
recently been affected by the news they obtain from the social media, and this has impacted their
decision-making process. Moreover, considering the 2016 presidential elections, the fakest news
was spread through social media sites including the Facebook. Besides, most people who get
fake news tend to believe in them as stated by Silverman & Singer-Vine in their article on
December 6, 2016 (Allcott&Gentzkow, 2017).
a. The Internet and the fake news market
The growing trend of fake new in 2016 was very dissimilar to widely state-controlled
traditional methods of the twentieth-century misinformation. What was witnessed regularly here
were small factions of individuals taking advantage of the internet, mainly through the social
media algorithms and interactions via creating hyperbolic publications about the essential
political occasion: the United States Presidential election (Allcott&Gentzkow, 2017).
Misinformation and the Internet, fake news is similar since they both deform the reality
for emotional influence, in quest of triggering action. Even though the work seems to be
political, the inspiration in 2016 Unites States Presidential election was not essentially
(Allcott&Gentzkow, 2017). Many creators of the fake news were moreover seeking for the path
to making quick money by spreading information and receiving viewers, who would view
advertisements.
Before the Internet, publishing misinformation and increasing viewers or audience, which
could be monetized, was almost not possible because of three reasons. Circulating information
on any size required a prohibitively costly logistics process and this discouraged fake news.
Moreover, attracting a considerable audience took much time, and since it was expensive to
obtain and depended on the trust of content, publishing the fake news would damage the
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character and hence resulting in financial consequences. Since it was costly to spread
information, there were just fewer players. They obeyed the media law and could be controlled.
Publishing propaganda or misinformation would probably wind up with published being sued.
However, this entry of content exchange was unlocked roughly in 2007, with the start of
the social media platforms (Allcott&Gentzkow, 2017). The creation of the social media sites
including Facebook and Twitter permitted individuals to exchange data on an improve extent
than in the past years, whereas publishing platforms like the WordPress permitted anybody to
produce a dynamic website with a lot of ease. Briefly, the barriers as mentioned earlier to
generating fake news were loosened since the expense of publishing through WordPress and
dispensing through social networks approached zero (Allcott&Gentzkow, 2017). Besides,
because of the lowered costs, the character is far more dispensable since individuals can
efficiently distribute information through social media sites. Given that the prices are reduced,
more operators are involved in the distribution of content than in previous periods. Hence, the
trickle of controlled data exchange via the gate becomes a tidal wave that is impossible the
control entirely.
b. Fake news in the 2016 United States Presidential election crusade
With the financial barriers removed, the year 2016 demonstrated to be the period
potential for the generation and distribution of the fake news than in the past, with the story of
2016 election campaign offering a close to the perfect topical background. The happening would
be talked about worldwide, while the debate was polarized in various methods, permitting for a
better polemic against either candidate (Allcott&Gentzkow, 2017). Donald Trump was the
critical ingredient for the fake news. His campaign signaled an anti-establishment banner
reducing the great Hillary Clinton by frequently calling her “crooked,” and declaring that he
THE DARK WEB AND ITS ISSUES ON THE INTERNET 14
sought to "drain the swamp" of Capitol. Trump’s randomness and his promotion of distrust of his
rivals resulted in the growth of fake news that supported him.
Concerning the fake new, many of the people that spread them usually use hidden IP
addresses and generate information that is sensitive yet not traceable because they utilize the
dark web and dark nets created by a browser such as Tor. Therefore, their identities cannot be
recognized quickly and; hence, they are in a position to spread rumors without worrying about
their security. The browser has given such users the immunity of being identified by the
authorities that monitor that information that is posted on the internet.
Darknet Market and Nuclear Proliferation
Regarding that, there are websites that deals with the sale of guns, cocaine and other
drugs, teasers, fake passports as well as guiding people on how to steal and hack, there has also
been a concern regarding the sales and purchase of nuclear weapons via the dark nets. Since
2014, the problem of the nuclear acquisition via online sites has been highlighted by the Institute
of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA) and their college at project alpha as well as
biological export management control. The reports found that the e-commerce has promoted the
proliferation of products and guides that can be utilized during the construction of the nuclear
weapons that endanger the lives of many if any use of these weapons is utilized (Dodman, 2016).
The cryptomarkets or dark net markets have made this possible and have increased the
dangers regarding the safety of the population. Moreover, this has also encouraged untraceable
terrorist attacks as well as activities across the globe. A wide range of the export controlled items
in the Nuclear Supplier Group lists, which controls the products individuals may require to build
a nuclear weapon, was discovered to be freely accessible on e-commerce sites such as the
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“Alibaba.com” according to the Dodman (2016). Moreover, the author continues to note that
even after the takedown of the Silk Road 2.0 by the federal bureau of investigation (FBI) in 2013
crypto markets or the darknet markets have continued to function. The issue is that the people
who operate in the darknet market is that they maintain anonymity and they are protected by the
websites regarding their operations that are mainly malicious and affect the rest of the internet
users especially the ones without the knowledge of the hackers and the dark web users.
Conclusion
The Internet has been essential in the modern time regarding communication, online
transactions, education, and in many other fields for the users. However, it has posed some
dangers that manner of its users is exposed to, but they are not aware. Such risks result in the loss
of many things including, money, and reputation following a faked identity. Some malicious
persons have made this their platform to manipulate other people’s data for their benefits while
leaving the other to suffer. They manage people’s information through online sites that are
known as the dark webs or dark nets using browsers such as Tor that cannot be traced by the
regulatory authorities and do all sorts of evils they think of without worrying of being caught.
Therefore, it is important for Internet users, especially the social media sites to be alert to note
such threats offered by the darknet users for the safety of their information and finances.
Regarding the activities that take place on these sites, it can be concluded that the dark webs and
dark net should be counteracted because they provide more harm than good.
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References
Barratt, M. J., Lenton, S., Maddox, A., and Allen, M. (2016). ‘What if you live on top of a
bakery and you like cakes?’—Drug use and harm trajectories before, during and after the
emergence of Silk Road. International Journal of Drug Policy, 35, 50-57.
Dodman, D. (2016). Nuclear Proliferation via Darknet Markets? | ICSA_Kings. Retrieved from
https://blogs.kcl.ac.uk/icsa/2016/04/21/nuclear-proliferation-via-darknet-markets/
Gehl, W. (2016). Power/freedom on the dark web: A digital ethnography of the Dark Web Social
Network. new media & society, 18(7), 1219-1235.
Gottfried, j., & Shearer, e. (2016). News Use Across Social Media Platforms 2016. Retrieved
from http://www.journalism.org/2016/05/26/news-use-across-social-media-platforms-
2016/
Lawrence, M. (2018).Bitcoin shows the scale of change needed to stop the climate crisis.
Retrieved from https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/energy/2018/08/bitcoin-shows-
scale-change-needed-stop-climate-crisis
Nakamoto, S. (2017).Bitcoin: a peer-to-peer electronic cash system, Oct. 2008. URL
http://www.bitcoin. org/bitcoin. pdf.(cited on pp. 15 and 87).
Silverman, C., and Singer-Vine, J. (2016). Retrieved from
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/fake-news-survey
Van Hout, M. C., and Bingham, T. (2013). ‘Surfing the Silk Road’: A study of users’
experiences. International Journal of Drug Policy, 24(6), 524-529.
Verstraete, M., Bambauer, D. E., and Bambauer, J. R. (2017). Identifying and countering fake
news.
Christin, N. (2013, May). Traveling the Silk Road: A measurement analysis of a large
anonymous online marketplace.In Proceedings of the 22nd international conference on
World Wide Web (pp. 213-224).ACM.
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