In a dark corner of the Internet, away from the eyes of Google, YouTube and social media, it hides a mysterious world that does not resemble the digital spaces we know, and this world is called “Dark Web”, or as some call it “dark internet” and in some countries “Deep Web”.
What is Dark Web? A question seems simple but it carries a lot of complexity
“Deep Web” or Dark Web is an electronic space in which electronic crimes overlap with secrets, and absolute freedom becomes a cover for chaos and moral collapse, and few people know its details, and the least of them realize its true danger, but it exists, and it may destroy your life without warning.
Dark Web is not a single site, it is a hidden layer of the Internet that does not appear in search engines and cannot be browsed in the usual ways, and you need to enter it into special tools such as Tor browser, which hides the user identity, and allows him to access sites that end with strange extensions such as “Onion”.
Although this level of privacy may sometimes serve human rights activists or journalists in some countries, the painful fact is that it has become a fertile environment for crimes that cannot be imagined from drug trafficking, to the sale of weapons, to the sexual exploitation of children, up to complex fraud and selling stolen bank data.
The strange shape of the Dark Web world: technical and moral darkness
Whoever ventures to enter this world will be surprised by a primitive interface that is almost free of colors, sites with encrypted names that do not suggest anything, black pages full of illegal offers offered with a shocking cold, and you will find credit cards offered for sale, Hackers services to target people or companies, offers to rent hired killers, and markets for the trade of human organs, and all of that is done in complete secret Using non -traceable digital currencies, such as bitcoin, which adds an additional layer of protection to criminals.
How do the names of the Dark Web sites and why do they look strange?
The names of the dark websites are completely different from those we use daily, as they do not start with “www” and do not end with “com.” Or “Net.” Rather, it comes as a random chains of 16 characters and ends with “ONION”, which makes them uncomfortable or easily conservative, and these titles are known as “hidden Tor services”, and are born through complex encryption operations that start creating encryption key (public and private), then a portion of the public key is converted into ASCII format to produce the unique address.
Unlike the traditional internet, the Dark Web sites do not rely on the normal domain names system (DNS), but the TOR network itself is used to discover and connect these sites via layers of encryption that guarantees hiding the identity of the user and the site at the same time.
And not only this system provides privacy, but it is also difficult for any party that tracks the activity or identifying the parties participating in the communication, which made it an ideal environment for everyone looking to hide identity, whether for legitimate or criminal reasons.
What are the risks of the Dark Web? When the harm exceeds the limits of the screen
Dark Web not only hurts its users, but its impact extends to the entire societies. On the individual level, the theft of personal data can lead to financial and social disasters, and some may fall victim to blackmail or defamation.
As for children and adolescents, they are the most vulnerable categories, whether through prohibited content or by manipulating them for criminal targets.
On a wider level, the Dark Web provides a cover for financing terrorism, money laundering and arms trade, which is undermined the security and stability of countries, and all of this happens in secret, without the cameras captured or monitored by laws.
Real crimes caused by Dark Web shook reality
What is happening in the Dark Web is not just a fantasy or conspiracy theories, as the American Ross Olbrech founded in 2011, the “Silk Road” website, which turned into the largest electronic platform for drug and weapons trade, and after long investigations, the American authorities managed to close the site and sentence its founder to life imprisonment.
On the other side of the world, specifically in Egypt, a stir was raised in 2022 after the disclosure of a huge leak of the data of millions of citizens, offered for sale in locations on the Dark Web, which revealed the fragility of some official and private databases.
Also, a high school student killed his colleague after he was affected by inflammatory content that was found in one of the Deep Web forums. reality.
Why is it impossible to completely eliminate the Dark Web?
The war against the Dark Web is not easy, but rather complex to the point that the idea of eliminating it permanently is almost impossible, and the primary reason is due to its decentralized normal and its dependence on encryption techniques that hide identity and path, which makes it followed and monitored it is an almost impossible task even for the strongest intelligence services, and reducing its damages is not impossible, and countries can invest in developing digital tools capable of detecting suspicious activities, and enacting flexible laws Renewed, and enhancing international cooperation, along with the role of media and schools in educating people, especially young people who may fall victim to curiosity or deception.
Dark Web is not a game or an enjoyable experience
There are those who believe that entering the Dark Web is just an adventure or a “once experience”, but the truth is that this world is ruthless, and just visiting a suspicious site may mean that your device will be hacked, and you may find yourself the next day a victim of blackmail or even a digital chase.
In this world, there are no laws that protect you, and there is no one who hears you if you seek help, it is a digital mine field that you walk alone, and every step in it may be the last.
