Cyber Crime and Dark Web: Pros, Cons, and Future Implications

This essay provides a comprehensive analysis of the Dark Web, examining its origins, functionalities, and the distinction between the Dark Web and the Deep Web. It delves into the pros, such as enabling anonymous communication and circumventing censorship, and the cons, highlighting its association with illegal activities like drug dealing, child pornography, and contract killings. The essay discusses the role of TOR browser in accessing the Dark Web and the challenges in tracing users. It further explores the impact of the Dark Web on cybercrime, detailing the types of illegal goods and services available. The essay concludes by suggesting necessary actions to mitigate the adverse effects of the Dark Web and emphasizes the need for global cooperation to address its challenges and safeguard against its potential for destructive activities.

CYBER CRIME
STUDENT DETAILS
STUDENT DETAILS

Dark Web 1
Internet has the primary elements that operates all over the server. Surface internet, deep
internet and dark internet. Dark Web is the sub part of the internet which is entirely different
as compare to the general internet surfing web serves such as http://firefox.com ,
http://chorme .com, etc. Dark Net is the part of the Dark Web that operates for hidden or
anonymous communication. Dark Web and Dark internet are two different concepts. Dark
Web contains customized software and information that is for internal use or limited to the
access of their management only (Anderson, et. al., 2019). For example: a student can easily
fill his/her exam registration form over the internet but they cannot access to the internal
database of the exam department that stores sophisticated information, licenses, research
papers, etc. Dark Web provides them the medium through which private web can be accessed
for entering into hidden networks. In this essay, there will be discussion about the pros and
cons of Dark Net with sophisticated arguments about their utilization.
Origin of Dark Net and its fundamental purpose
Dark Net (DN) was coined at first in the digital networking era of 1970s. It was design to
designate isolated networks from ARPANET (legal military operations website). At that time
DN server received data from ARPANET but it do not appears in the listed network. DN was
actually created by the government of United States with a prime motive of sharing
information in completely anonymously way. Fundamentally, this technological server was
developed by the US military researchers and DN can only be accessed through TOR (The
Onion Router) browser. TOR was developed by three computer scientists name as Paul
Syversin, Mike Reed, and David Goldshlag. Initially, it was design to fulfil the expectations
of US Defence Advance Research Projects Agency. However, the working of DN has come
far away from the expectations of the US governments. As while creating DN, US military
expects that the functioning of DN will only limited to the anonymous military activities but
DN has crossed their expectations because in today’s era DN is also utilizing for carrying
illegal activities such as drug dealing, child pornography peddlers, killing someone, hacking
bank accounts, etc (Benjamin, Valacich & Chen, 2019).
However, the primary purpose of creating TOR browser is to provide anonymous access and
it was creating for a positive motive but with the help of Deep Web, advanced browser like
TOR started incorporating the norms of Dark Net. Currently, in DN activities like contracting
killing or hiring hitmen (it is true and it is also possible that by the time I am writing about
contracting killing on DN, someone is making contract with hitmen for killing someone),

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hacking an individual’s PayPal account, weapon dealing, child pornography, terrorist
activities, buying or selling all kind of drugs, leaked private videos of an individual, etc.
Since the origin, numerous changes are made in the payment methods and from long time all
the payments are transferring through bitcoins and others forms of crypto currency (Fidalgo,
et. al., 2019).
For making it untraceable or next to impossible to trace, it incorporates the Onion Router
because it incorporates the structure of onion (layer after layer) which resultant in making
websites completely anonymous. Over 30,000 websites are primarily host on the “.onion”
domain in effective and efficient way. This onion like structure programming of the DN
server helps TOR for making information completely non traceable. However, United States
is the only country which is currently started working in their research centre for making
program which can trace the locations of the users (Finlay & Payne, 2019).
Pros of Dark Net
Dark Net and server like TOR have various benefits which empower a user to enhance the
quality of their life in effective and efficient way possible. DN allows people to circumvent
censorship, it also allows them to access illegal market to improve their quality of life, deep
web or DN also allows students to study various research papers. Apart from this, major pros
of DN also includes political dissidents as when an individual disallowed to put his/her views
because of dictatorial ships then with the help of DN or deep web users can share their
thoughts about the functioning of their respective governments without having the fear of
being noticed or traced by the government officials. Moreover, not only this, DN is also used
for showing shadow of any public or private limited companies. As people can get
information about the internal misconduct, mismanagement or malfeasance related activities
of an organization by analysing their internal database. All these benefits are effectively
incorporates because of the applications of TOR project site. As TOR is the Onion Router
which is a home to a network (Gioe, Goodman & Wanless, 2019).
By understanding above section, it can be said that Dark Net also has a positive side but it is
true that the side of DN is only 10 to 15% positive and rest of the side of DN incorporates
deep negativity which empower illegal activities. Although, even after having a little bit
positive side, it is strongly advised that people should stay away from the Dark Net. If they
require any material for study purpose (like research paper) and entertainment purpose (like
Netflix passwords) then it is advisable to them that purchase that specific content instead of

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entering into the parameters of DN. Apart from this, out of the pool of pros and cons, the
major advantage of DN is that people can put forward their views about their government,
legal officials, about any specific leader, etc. without revealing their identity. It is observed
that people who lives under dictatorship uses DN for political purpose. For example: people
living in China, Saudi Arab, etc. People of these countries uses DN for political purpose more
than the people living in democratic countries like USA, India, Australia, etc (Gucciane,
2020).
Cons of Dark Net
The Dark side of the Dark Net incorporates many critical parameters which requires serious
actions from the global officials. Major cons of the Dark Net incorporates a remote and risky
locale of the Internet stays another lesser-known net, an uncivilized computerized no-man's-
land with obscure notoriety and a dismal name: The Darknet. Here on the for all intents and
purposes anything-goes Darknet, with its ensured namelessness, crooks and con artists of
some stripe, against government rebels, progressives, psychological militants and different
assortments of fugitive can peddle their merchandise and ventures, speak with guests and
clients to their destinations and with one another, and work secretly and in this manner
apparently without risk of punishment (Gucciane, 2020).
A famous Darknet site called Silk Road was asserted to be a virtual general store of opiates,
where dealers and clients could purchase their medications of the decision in limited
quantities or discount parts. The FBI brought down the site, yet soon a while later a site
called Silk Road 2.0 showed up and supposedly continued the same old thing. Fake U.S. cash
is additionally sold on the Darknet – particularly 20 and 100 dollar greenbacks, hawked at
costs limited from their assumed worth. Likewise much popular from Darknet business
people are fake identifications, birth declarations, fashioned or counterfeit records and taken
charge cards. Asian clients of the Darknet have an inclination for creature parts of certain
imperiled species, which are promptly accessible at a cost. Yearly deals right now have been
evaluated at $20 billion (Kim, et. al., 2019).
Powdered rhinoceros horn is a most loved Chinese and Vietnamese purchaser, despite the
fact that it is mainstream in numerous different nations also. Rhino horn is erroneously
rumored to have otherworldly, psychoactive and different restorative properties. A solitary
rhino horn can sell for as much as $500,000 and a kilo of the horn in powdered structure sells
for as much as $90,000. Other creature parts offered available to be purchased incorporate

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elephant tusks, which are unadulterated ivory and sell at significant expenses on the
underground market (Lavorgna, 2019). Tiger parts apparently additionally sell well, as do
colorful creatures, secured by law. Criminal administrators on the Darknet ensure their
personality through encryption – each Darknet tenant, as referenced, is conceal in obscurity
and no one knows anyone, except if a name is purposely uncovered. Outcasts or outsiders
can't get to correspondences between two gatherings. Merchants and purchasers of Darknet
booty and unlawful administrations are in this way difficult to follow (Koroniotis, Moustafa
& Sitnikova, 2019).
Functioning of Dark Net after evaluating its pros and cons
Thus, it is analysed that functioning of DN is not only limited to the anonymous operations of
the US military but the functioning of DN extended its parameters. Even, general public with
little bit research can reach on the DN server to purchase drugs, guns, Netflix credentials of
someone, illegal software, for contract killing, etc. Here, it is also important to understand
that browser like TOR are far away from the general functioning of the VPN browser. As
browser like VPN are not limited to changing current locations, downloading movies or
accessing to the pornography websites through different servers. On the other hand, server
like DN are far away from VPN because on DN an user can even purchase body organs or
can sell body organs anonymously (Mendiratta, 2019).
Moreover, it is the fact that market users of VPN are very high then the users of DN. Till
now, DN has around 500K registered users which is very less as compare to the user database
of VPN users. In the world, there are around 3.5millions registered users of the VPN.
Through this analysis of registered user, it can be said that market of VPN consist of more
users then DN users. Even in 500K users, only 200K are frequent users rest 300K are one
time users. However, it is not a sad thing that DN has extremely less users in the world as
compare to other servers. It is the good news that DN has less users and it is suggested to the
governments of the World to take strict actions to terminate the access of DN in their
respective nations (Shniderman, 2019).
Moreover, in countries like USA, Australia, India, etc. there are strong cyber which
eliminates illegal activities and these cyber laws also monitors the activities of the general
public in effective and efficient way possible. Even after having strong cyber laws it is
observed that people of these countries also utilizes DN. On other hand, there are many
nations which do not focus on activities like DN and they do not even have any legal polices

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which restricts users to access DN. As majority of the DN users are belongs to those
countries where there is no restrictions over the use of internet. Still, this is the great news
that till now DN has only 500K users. Governments at the global level should take immediate
actions in order to prevent users for accessing DN from any part in the world but it is the
global nature of the governments that at the global level government’s officials will also take
strong actions when situations will be out of their control (Topor, 2019).
Required actions to outperform adverse actions of Dark Net
Two actions are required to completely outperform the norms of Dark Net. Out of these two
actions, first actions require more serious attention then the second one. First, steps which
government requires to follow. People and government are aware that functions or activities
conducted on the Dark Net are mostly illegal and even are not ethical correct. Currently there
are only 500K active users on DN and if sophisticated actions are not taken by the
governments of all the countries then it will transform in the destructive face of terrorism in
the world. Government officials at the global level require to take corrective actions to make
necessary program to discourage the utilization of the DN. Moreover, here major challenge
encounter is that TOR server incorporates onion like structure which creates a path through
which information travels from long bouncing path which makes it next to impossible to trace
the locations of the parties. In this manner, all the governments of the world should come
together to crack this wall. For accomplishing this purpose they required advance R&D
centre with team of programmers and computer scientist. Moreover, even after effective team
members and R&D centre, this process may take long time to be successful (Villora, Yubero
& Navarro, 2019).
Apart from this, second suggested remedy is that general people should keep away from the
utilization of Dark Net and they should even suggest other people to do not use DN because
of its adverse environment. However, it is noticed that students of all over the world are
fascinating with DN because it helps them in accessing research papers and highly useful or
confidential soft wares. With the help of DN they reach to their desire research paper with
minimal efforts. Students also requires a specific domain or website address because on dark
net it is necessary to have specific and complete website address. Moreover, it is already
suggested in the above section then instead of accessing information at no cost it is beneficial
for the students to access paid content. However, it is the basic human tendency that they
have the way available to get a specific thing or information at free of cost then there is no

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point in spending money for the same. Here, the sophisticated actions of the government
officials can help in completely outperforming the utilization of the Dark Net in effective and
efficient way possible (Anderson, et. al., 2019).
In this essay, it is concluded that Dark Net empowers illegal activities which includes access
to child pornography, contracting killing, buying or selling of drugs, selling of body organs,
etc. All such activities are conducting on DN and currently there are 500k users on DN. In
this essay, it is also concluded that DN was originated by the US military for anonymous
conducting operations. However, DN has gone far away and now according to the experts if
DN has not completely outperform then in future it has the potential to take new face of
terrorism in the world. In this essay, it is suggested that all the governments in the world
should work in coordination with each other to completely outperform this arisen challenge
of Dark Net in effective and efficient way.

Dark Web 7
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