TLDR;
This video explores the dark web, explaining its origins, how to access it, and the types of content found there. It covers the spectrum from its use in empowering activists and journalists to the prevalence of illegal activities like drug sales, data breaches, and human trafficking. The video warns against casual exploration of the dark web due to its potential psychological impact and dangers.
- The internet consists of the surface web (4%), the deep web (94%), and the dark web.
- The dark web was originally created by the US government to secure communications.
- It's used for both legitimate purposes like activism and journalism, and illegal activities like drug trade and human trafficking.
- Personal data is often sold cheaply on the dark web, leading to scams and identity theft.
- The dark web can have a negative psychological impact, normalizing taboo topics and emboldening users.
Intro [0:01]
The video starts with a discussion about exploring the dark web for an AV video, addressing concerns about its legality and potential influence on the audience. The team debates the risks and educational value, acknowledging the sinister reputation of the dark web while considering its potential for educational content. They also discuss the need to ensure the audience understands the dangers and doesn't get into trouble.
What is the Internet? [1:23]
The video explains the structure of the internet, starting from how a phone connects to a router via Wi-Fi, forming a local area network. This network connects to a modem, which transmits data to an internet service provider (ISP), forming a regional network. ISPs connect to a national backbone of fiber optic cables, which then link globally through submarine cables and satellites via internet exchange points (IXPs). The video highlights that the surface web, accessible through search engines, only constitutes about 4% of the internet, while the deep web, containing private and unindexed content, makes up about 94%. The dark web consists of websites hosted on various servers that require specialized software like the Tor browser for access, ensuring anonymity through onion routing.
The Good of the Dark Web [6:17]
The dark web was initially created by the US government to secure internet communications. It allows people to navigate the internet anonymously, which is often used for criminal activity, but government agencies still sponsor it. The US Naval Research Lab created the onion router in the 1990s to communicate sensitive information online, and DARPA made it public in 2002 to create a cover for military personnel by having millions of regular people use the same network. Despite its sinister reputation, the dark web empowers people fighting against oppression, censorship, and surveillance. It has facilitated acts of journalism and activism, such as during the Arab Spring in 2010 and Edward Snowden's exposure of surveillance programs in 2013.
The Irony of the Dark Web [11:45]
The irony of the dark web is that it was built by the US government for interpersonal communication but is used by drug cartels, criminal organizations, whistleblowers, and journalists, often against the governments that created it. Shutting it down risks destroying access for legitimate users. The dark web is not as bad as people make it out to be.
The Bad of the Dark Web [12:54]
About 57% of dark web content is illegal, mainly drugs and weapons. The Silk Road, created in 2011 by Ross Albert (Dread Pirate Roberts), generated around $9.5 million bitcoins ($200 million) in sales in just two years, mostly from drugs. Law enforcement took down Silk Road in a spy thriller-like operation, arresting Ross Alrich in 2013. Busting Silk Road didn't end dark web markets; Silk Road 2.0 and other clones emerged, including the Alphabet market, which generated over $1 billion in sales. Stolen data is sold on the dark web, with personal information from breaches like those at Dolingo and LinkedIn being sold cheaply. This data is packaged into "fulls" and sold to cybercriminals for phishing scams, loan fraud, and SIM swap scams. Political groups and data brokers also purchase this data for voter profiling, misinformation campaigns, and consumer behavior analysis.
The Ugly of the Dark Web [20:51]
The dark web contains gore, violence, murders, snuff films, and human trafficking. Forums are dedicated to buying and selling humans. In 2021, over 27.6 million people worldwide were trapped in forced labor and sex trafficking networks, with many transactions brokered on dark web platforms. Europol found that criminals exploit dark web marketplaces to traffic human beings, often children. The dark web hosts extensive networks for child exploitation material. A 2014 study found that more than 80% of all dark web visits were to child abuse content. In 2019, one of the largest child abuse sites, Welcome to Video, was shut down after authorities discovered more than 250,000 disturbing videos accessed by over a million anonymous users worldwide.
Conclusion [24:57]
The dark web is full of paradoxes, reflecting both heroic instincts and dark impulses. It is not a playground for casual curiosity but a dangerous environment where exposure can alter one's psychology. Unless you're a whistleblower or part of a network with journalistic intentions, it is not worth going into the dark web.