Rhys Dyer, '26 & Hudson Honeybone, '26
The Basics
There are three levels of the internet: the Surface Web, the Deep Web, and the Dark Web. Surface web is composed of common search engines and applications. Yet, only 4% of the internet is on the surface; the remaining 96% lies deeper. Although the Dark Web gets a bad rep as a hub of criminal activity, the foremost purpose of the Dark Web is privacy. Surfing the dark web offers unmatched encryption and anonymity, far beyond that of Google or Firefox. In order to access the dark web, users must install the Tor browser, which grants access to all web content. Once surfing this part of the web, users encounter thousands of black markets– the illegal sale of goods and services. These markets might be selling illegal goods, selling legal goods at illegal prices, or both. Although the primary function of the Dark Web may be harmless, don’t let that fool you; the Dark Web is riddled with hackers, cyber threats, criminals, and far more repulsive things.
Origins of the Dark Web
The origins of the Dark Web are not as malevolent as one might think. The Tor browser, the first launching pad for reaching the Dark Web, was developed by three Naval Scientists– Paul Syverson, Michael Reed , and David Goldschlag. The trio invented the browser in order to protect the identity of US Navy intelligence agents. The anonymity offered by the browser that was first created to hide high ranking Naval identities later attracted hackers and illegal vendors. The browser allowed Naval officers to communicate and make transactions away from prying eyes. To this day, government officials use the Dark Web for the same reasons. So, although the Dark Web is a hub of criminal activity and shady behavior, the initial intent behind the project was legitimate.
Major Items Sold on the Dark Web
When surfing the Dark Web, you will inevitably come across a multitude of buyers and vendors attempting to sell you all sorts of illegal products and goods. This encompasses all types of military grade weapons, illegal drugs, any exotic animal species, human organs, human trafficking, money, political information, and personal information. These are some of the most popular and well-known illegal items sold on the Black Market, however, the Dark Web is a vast network filled with all kinds of unsanctioned activity. Although you can find anything on the above mentioned list, you can also make specialized requests to vendors for items ranging from snuff films to illegal cheeses. Other services offered include hiring assassins or bounty hunters for film, as glamorized in certain films such as the 1999 Nicholas Cage film 8mm or even the box office hit Vacancy. Theorists believe these videos are created purely for anonymous person’s entertainment.
Methods of Distributing Illegal Products: How to Reach the Buyer
Surprisingly, illicit products and goods purchased off the Dark Web are shipped by normal means. Obviously, the seller attempts to mask their true identity and export address when shipping something out, but they use USPS just like anybody else. If there’s an conspicuous shape of the box, an unusual weight of the package, if the box is broken or leaking, if there’s no return address, or anything is misspelled, the box will be flagged and potentially searched. However, if USPS has no probable cause or warrant to open a box, they are bound by the Constitution from opening any box. Arrests are not entirely uncommon though. Just last year, a large seizure of over 288 vendors and buyers encompassing three continents occurred equating to 50.8 million in cash and virtual currencies, 850 kg of drugs, and 117 firearms. There’s always a risk.
How Lucrative Is The Dark Web
In the past, one of the most profitable markets on the Dark Web was Bitcoin. In 2019, Bitcoin sales on the Dark Web totaled 1 billion USD and would have continued to climb if the digital currency hadn’t collapsed. Beyond digital currency, there is an expensive market for stolen personal information. In 2022, a stolen credit card number / bank digits sold for $5, social security numbers sold for $1, and health records sold for upwards of $1,000 USD. The unbelievably cheap price of personal data enables vendors to buy and resell in bulk, raking in millions of dollars in the process. Organs, most of which are used for transplantation, are also a high value item, selling for around $5,000; in total, the organ trafficking business is worth over 1.7 billions dollars. Not to mention, buying an organ from a black market on the Dark Web likely means that organ was retrieved from a theft, or worse, a murder victim. In some of the darkest depths, Dark Web vendors will even sell babies, ranging from as little as $500 to over $7,500 depending on height, weight, and race. The markets of the Dark Web resemble the above-ground internet economy, save organs, babies, and stolen data.
Risks of Surfing the Dark Web
Dark web scammers steal the personal data and identity of buyers, sometimes blackmailing the buyer into complying with monetary demands or worse. Dark web browsers don't have the encryption features of above-ground browsers like Chrome, which leaves your social security, credit card information, and bank accounts vulnerable to hackers. Moreover, the dark web is brimming with cybersecurity threats and destructive malware that will decimate your computer. You will no doubt encounter suspicious offers advertising illegal products, some of which may be legitimate, others fishing and scam-like. Content like this can have psychological ramifications on innocent-minded surfers. Even worse, buyers that are suspected of uncovering Dark Web operations are targeted by vendors and sometimes physically harmed. And since the Dark Web is illegal and unregulated, buyers cannot seek police protection in the event of a transaction going haywire.
The Dark Web has garnered the reputation of a criminal hotspot riddled with shady deals and illegal products, but in reality, the Web wasn’t built to house black markets and hackers. Instead, it was built to protect the identities of regular surfers. But it is this anonymity that makes it so dangerous. You could unknowingly be selling your life away or funding an illegal crime ring. In fact, making one wrong click could compromise your livelihood. Some sites infect your computer with illegal content, and the site’s administrators will automatically notify authorities that you’re in possession of explicit material. There are traps like this in every corner of the Dark Web. When surfing the dark web, whether it's for entertainment or not, remember that you are never safe.