DarkNet Almighty: A step away from freedom

Around the MysteriousDarkNet and Bitcoin have long boiled passions and every blogger, journalistandA user on the forum is trying to present his own version of the "dark web", where people undoubtedly liveOf course, don't underestimate the potential of evil per square kilobyteinDarkNet, but, at the same time, it is recommended to familiarize yourself well with the history of the development of computer networks and take into account the interests of those who valueanonymity in the digital space.DarkNet is no longer a permanent subjectdubious rumors and speculation - everyone needs to look the darkness in the eyes and henceforth not forget what they saw there. This is the only way to gain freedom from other people’s opinions, throwing aside stereotypes and a touch of propaganda.

Who only throughout historyhumanity did not exploit this beautiful word: "freedom." So the turn came to me. Both yesterday and today, the darkest and undoubtedly mysterious DarkNet is a favorite topic for tales among tired stalkers gathering around a virtual bonfire during a break between forays into the unknown space of the Great Network. And not everyone realizes how closely the "dark network" is intertwined with the real economy. But, did Bitcoin spawn DarkNet? Not at all. A clearly perverted thought has long been rooted in the minds of ordinary people: DarkNet for criminals. Is it so? You decide.

DarkNet: what is it and how to get there

Many of us have heard more than once about DarkNet [darknetworks] or even regularly visit sites located in the depths of the information space. In this hidden and sometimes dangerous part of the Network, all kinds of shadow business flourish, which makes it extremely attractive for journalists like me.

Over the years, a lot of adequate written about DarkNetarticles, books and instructions, but at the same time, it is worth noting the excess scum that has accumulated as a result of the regular appearance of "m-hysterical" videos on YouTube, catching the atmosphere of terrible mystery around the "hidden side of the network", giving rise to a lot of speculation and outright nonsense.

Maybe everyone should figure it out on their own - why is DarkNet so attractive and dangerous, what is happening there, how to get there, and then what to do with all this?

How does the modern Internet work?

For convenience it will not be a serious mistakeunite all existing computer networks under one name - the Internet. Indeed, in the aggregate, they, indeed, represent that very “international [international] network”.

Any network begins with the union of two digitaldevices, for example, via cable or wireless signal. In the future, other devices are connected to it. With the growth of the network, there is a need for large nodes that are responsible for routing traffic. Provider companies connect their equipment to these nodes, after which they provide everyone with access to the international computer network, i.e. the internet. Thus, providers are divided into international, regional and local.

An important property of such a network infrastructureis the ability to build on top of the main network any other. Indeed, all devices in the main network are interconnected via a special protocol, as a rule, today it is WWW (World Wide Web). But, in fact, the protocol can be any and the rules for interaction between devices, respectively, are different.

But, fact: today the entire structure of the main network is tightly tied to the WWW protocol, IP addresses, domain name system and DNS.

How does the modern Internet work?

We are used to seeing the Internet as it is andwe perceive it only through the experience of interacting with the provided devices and someone with specific interfaces, absolutely not thinking how it works.

And those who do not want to think are controlled, i.e. think for them. Do you need it?

But back to the point: on top of the main web that we are already familiar with, other networks began to emerge or simply continued to exist after its appearance.

Surface Web, Deep Web and Dark Net

The Internet is often described as being made up of three parts: the Surface Web, the Deep Web, and the Dark Net.

Separation does not occur according to the properties of the resource according to the type of “bad” - “good” or “legal” - “illegal”, but according to the level of access.

Surface network or so-called ClearNet [clean network] is what most of us use daily. ClearNet is accessible through regular search engines and browsers such as Chrome, Safari and Firefox.

As an example: this article, which is available to anyone through any standard browser.

DeepWeb [deep network] - this is that part of the Internet,which contains very specific information. Most of us do not have access to it, and it is not indexed by ordinary search engines. Basically, these are pages and databases intended only for a certain group of people and organizations. To access it you need to know the exact web address (URL), and in some cases a password may be required. Examples of deep web pages are some university library databases, reports, and magazines that only subscribers or your private Facebook posts have access to.

In other words, DeepWeb is a part of the network in which information with limited access is located.

The last layer of the Internet - DarkWeb or DarkNet[dark network], and it is believed that access to it is much more complicated than to SurfaceWeb or DeepWeb. Although, visiting sites in one of the overlay networks [built on top of the main one], for example, in Tor, is often easier than accessing private information on a regular network.

It is worth noting that DarkNet is a broaderconcept than DarkWeb, and includes everything, one way or another connected with hidden or illegal services on the Global Network. But, in the future I will use the term DarkNet as equivalent to DarkWeb, which will not be a serious mistake. Because if a site selling drugs or child pornography is located on ClearNet, this resource is not part of DarkNet. This is just an example of the carelessness of the law enforcement agencies.

"Dark sites" in DarkNet, which are impossibleaccess via a regular browser [without special plugins] do not end with .com or .org. In the case of Tor, their URL consists of a random set of letters and numbers and ends in .onion. In addition, the URLs in DarkNet regularly change, which, to some extent, makes them even more “elusive”.

Thus, DarkNet refers to resources,access to which is possible only through special software. The DarkNet framework itself is decentralized or partially decentralized, and is represented by networks such as Tor, I2P, or RetroShare.

You can independently familiarize yourself with the contents of these networks - so as not to build speculation around the mysterious and incomprehensible Darknet in the future.

It will be interesting, because, in fact,the list is more than extensive, which is not surprising. After all, the term “darknet” appeared back in the 70s, with the advent of ARPANET, which preceded the modern web - already then there were resources that could not be accessed from outside.

Basic list of anonymous networks

Although a more or less noticeable surge in technologies for free file sharing and anonymous access to various resources naturally occurred in the 90s, but this is a different story.

Sustainableprotocols: asdevelopeddecentralization:

Sustainable Protocols: How Decentralization Developed

Networks, resources and users in DarkNet are conditionally divided into different types:

The structure of the "dark side of the network"

For those for whom one scheme is not enough to make a first impression - the world of dark networks is clearly presented in numerous materials:

WEAPONS, DRUGS AND COPROPHILIA: HOW I HAD THE DAYS OFF ON THE DARK INTERNET

Common misconceptions about DarkNet

Often I find information where the author or bloggerGains rating, making a gloom on anonymous and decentralized technologies, calling all this a terrible word "darknet". The mask on the face, the afterlife voice and the design of the material in the style of the “psychedelic technotriller” - only reinforce the impression on people with a weak mind. On the contrary, the various Unions of Concerned Mothers see nothing in the anonymous networks except for the brothel and drug addiction. Generally,to an adultonce you take and install yourself thisthe infamous Tor [anything else] and personally look at all the fears that are so vividly described by "experts in the world of shadows" and adherents of the [Stalinist] regime.

So, the rating of the most dubious allegations regarding DarkNet:

DarkNet is huge and much bigger than ClearNet.Is not a fact. Still, the main information on the network is on the surface, just not always publicly available.

DarkNet is complicated.You don’t have to be an IT specialist to use it.

DarkNet is illegal.DarkNet itself may not be illegal,unless visiting it is directly prohibited in your country. At the same time, we should not forget about the right of any person to receive and disseminate any information if it does not fall under legal restrictions.

As you can see, you are in the hands of the law, souse the same Tor at your own peril and risk. Think carefully - are you willing to take risks for the dubious advantage of obtaining rare information, if you still find it? Do you really need to hide your real IP address and communicate with other people through confidential communication channels? If yes, then you need to be on the safe side and not highlight the fact of using such technologies.

Get a time limit or penalty for using Tor orsomething like that - equal to the chance to fall under Themis’s sword for downloading pirated content from torrents. It depends on your government’s attitude towards such technologies. But, as a rule, it’s illegal to do what can be done there, for example, to sell drugs.

DarkNet is anonymous.No, your anonymity is quite conditional. It ends where the motivation to catch you appears.

Special services: “People should not think that the darknet is invisible to our agencies”

There is nothing interesting on the DarkNet for a law-abiding citizen.By no means, everyone himself will find there that will prove to be interesting to him.

Telegram is part of DarkNet. There is a popular belief that Telegram is in forceits encryption and public prohibition features in Russia also apply to darknet. This is nonsense, gentlemen. The fact that it has encrypted channels for selling prohibited substances, recruiting various organizations and coordinating anti-government actions does not [a priori] make it a reliable method of communication for criminals or “honest dissidents”. Need more real anonymity? Choose another truly decentralized messenger, without servers and the icon of its founder.

Thus, DarkNet, Tor browser and othersAnonymization tools are not illegal by default. However, if you decide to violate the laws of your country using similar technologies, this will be a criminal offense.

Therefore, it is necessary to emphasize here the criticalthe importance of strict compliance with the law. Your anonymity on Tor and similar networks is extremely questionable. And the more serious the crime, the more likely it is that you will be caught.

However, DarkNet is your right to freedom of speech and expression. The UN also established privacy as an inalienable right of any citizen, right?

Who is interested and useful in DarkNet?

Many people consider Tor sites to be.the same DarkNet, which is so much talked about. But, as already emphasized, DarkNet is not represented only by Tor, where drug dealers and pedophiles host websites. This is a huge layer of information, hidden from prying eyes and accessible by special protocols, where you can find anything.

And if you did not find the resource you are looking for, then perhaps you were simply invited there!

So, to whom is DarkNet useful and interesting? It is possible to conditionally divide users of hidden, decentralized and anonymous networks into two categories:

First category:

People who do not trust the centralized system and believe in the inevitable triumph of decentralization
Journalists
Dissidents
Researchers
Just curious
People with any other motives [abnormalities]

Second category:

Criminals of various stripes
Perverts
Drug addicts
Paranoid and crazy
Security officers and private detectives

Tor Network Resource List

List of resources on the i2p network

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil

DarkNet naturally found its niche in variousdestructive elements of society, which, undoubtedly, distorted the view of the average man about the purpose of anonymization tools. “Using Tor means an addict!”

It’s worth giving as an example a number of European countries,for example, the Netherlands, where historically it’s not generally accepted to curtain windows with curtains. So residents demonstrate that they have nothing to hide and their lifestyle is in line with Christian moral standards. Often for many tourists this causes a complete misunderstanding.

So - Tor is an analog of those very curtains,to close your eyes to your provider, who may find that your requests do not quite meet the strict requirements of the Christian church. You not only bypass any locks, hide your activity on the network, but you openly declare that “my private life belongs only to me”. Isn't that your right?

At the same time, there are certain resources that should be avoided just wanting to stay on the network relatively anonymous. No need to feed monsters.

In the 2016 report from researchersKing's College London claims that only Tor found 423 drug marketplaces, 327 sites for laundering and selling stolen money, 96 sites dedicated to finding hackers and selling malware, 122 sites with illegal pornography involving children and animals, and 17 sites with hiring killers.

It sounds a little exaggerated, although it makes no sense to deny the presence of such a business in "dark networks".

Darkmarkets

Darkmarkets are a segment of a market located inconditions of particularly severe legal restrictions. In DarkNet, such sites have acquired quite clear outlines, in the form of online stores where you can order any product, usually narcotic substances.

The scheme is simple - the buyer makes an order, pays for it with cryptocurrency, after which he receives the order through some delivery service (secretly) or receives the coordinates of the place where the goods are hidden.

The last option with bookmarks gave birth to a real profession - a bookmarker, he is also a kladmen.

Most of these sites are only available.via a Tor or I2P network. But, if you search, then in a clean network, oddly enough, you can also find such resources. This also applies to other types of criminal activity - there is also everything in the dark that is in the dark network: sites where sellers of anything are hanging out, hackers, carders and pedophiles. Illegal online casinos and sites for “black cash out” do not always wait for their customers only in the dark corners of the darknet - the norm. It's just that our gaze seems to be deliberately focused on resources on the Tor network.

The most famous darkmarket is Silk Road -The first website to sell illegal goods for bitcoins. The site banned child pornography and carding services. The incredible story of the rise and fall. The young man who allegedly single-handedly promoted this project, and was sacrificed to the blind Themis, became a hero among cryptanarchists (if any). The site was closed in 2013.

But, this was only the starting point - in the following years, the number of new darkmarkets increased many times, and became the real mainstream of our time.

Today, the situation is becoming increasingly threatening in all countries of the world, without exception:

A TALE OF HOW THE “TAPE” HYDRA CONSIDERED

Hackers

Hacker services are a significant part of the economyin the shadow segment of the Internet. Forums, casually covered by a darknet, offer to buy someone else’s bank card or order a hack, carry out identification of an electronic wallet on other people's data, purchase high-quality accounts on other resources, buy documents, agree on hacking mail or cash out funds, break through information, hire a drop [front] or on the contrary, find a job.

Oddly enough, such illegal forums can help you avoid fraud on the Internet and life, or bypass unfair sanctions blockages.

For example, here you can buy a PayPal account,if registration for your country is closed on it, but, with this option, it is not recommended to store large amounts on your wallet, the loss of which will be fatal for you. You can also order by breaking through counterparties or find out useful details about your other half.

Additionally, in a shadow network they can hostcontrol panel for a botnet - a network of infected devices controlled by a hacker. It can use devices to spread viruses, phishing, or to facilitate DDoS attacks.

Sometimes device owners voluntarily unite them into a single network to conduct DDoS attacks on sites, which often deserve it. Well, or on the sites of competitors.

It is your choice - how to use a similar market for shadow services. You can violate stupid laws, but whether it is worth breaking the laws of elementary ethics, conscience and morality is up to you. There are always consequences.

The Internet is without borders.He does not tolerate anyone's decisions regarding his work. It makes people equal. It erases boundaries, both real and social. This is the same philosophical singularity and synergy in unity. And the Darknet makes possible what is sometimes impossible in life or on a regular network.

Clothing markets that spontaneously appear thenhere and there is a vivid example of free trade relations. Who sets the rules and prices there? Yes, there are always watchers, but their power is also limited. And why in such markets, which sometimes reach gigantic proportions - just not there ... Darknet is a real digital Cherkizon.

Porn, loli and snuff: May God not forgive you ...

CP (English) - child pornography. Unfortunately, it is worth recognizing that DarkNet contains a large amount of illegal content of a sexual nature.

Stay away from this. Because you won’t find greater abomination in the nooks and crannies of the Darknet.

It has warmed up a lot of private networkspedophiles through whom they exchange photos and videos of pornographic content. Law enforcement officials from different countries and hacktivists, such as the Anonymous group, constantly counteract this, but, as you can see, there is no universal solution to the problem.

As an example, in October 2011, members of the hackerThe Anonymous collective took responsibility for the elimination of 40 pornographic sites, including the largest child pornography site on the Tor network, Lolita City. In addition, the account data of 1,589 regular Lolita City users was published in the public domain. Lolita City was hosted on the Freedom Hosting server - its owner was arrested by the FBI only two years later.

The problem is that in this world - roughly speaking,one in ten is a secret pervert. Additionally, apparently, the phenomenon has a strong global lobby at the highest level. Therefore, it is impossible to take and slam the dark force like that, smoldering in human souls from time immemorial.

The most unpleasant example - a video with scenesextreme cruelty and violence towards victims. They are also called snuff videos and many mockingly do not even recognize the existence of this industry, which only contributes to the concealment of this abomination. Yes, you heard right - the industry that has existed since the time of VHS-tapes, flourishing, in particular, in Indonesia and the Philippines. Here, Quentin Tarantino’s films immediately come to mind, which are not a complete fiction, well, maybe only with the exception of places and characters. The concept is correct.

The most famous snuff video is Daisy’s Destruction. And such a place in this world should not be.

Peter [charon_68] Scully

I don’t scare anyone here with scary stories, andsometimes I doubt myself whether it’s correct that I “push” information about Darknet, cryptocurrencies and network anonymity to the masses. Therefore, damn you, be prudent ... Even banal curiosity can have extremely unpleasant consequences.

Logical chapter: Comrade Major

Yes, it is true - seller or buyer canto be an expensive comrade in uniform or someone who works for him. A simple tip: if you just went to see / read / ask - do not buy or sell anything. It is fraught. If, nevertheless, it burns like that, and you have come for a specific purpose, be fully prepared.

Accidentally hit a site with child pornography? Get out of there.

Accidentally hit the ISIS website? Get out of there.

After all, quite often darknet sites are created with only one purpose - to identify users in any way. And it’s not for a normal person (you are undoubtedly just that) to watch and read such sites.

And, remember that Comrade Major is the first drug dealer in the village.

Conclusion

This article cannot be considered asself-sufficient material without a detailed excursion to the origins of cyberpunk and independent research of decentralized and anonymous networks. To do this, you need an elementary set of anonymous, which may be the very entry point into the rabbit hole. Although, believe me - all the most secret knowledge is hidden right before your eyes, you only need to collect it from the surface like a puzzle to see the whole picture.