What you can find on the dark web besides drugs and child porn: military secrets, stolen art and much more
- Fancy a false ID, elephant ivory or plans for a military combat drone? The internet’s netherworld is the place to shop and stay under the radar
- The dark web was even part of Islamic State’s multi-platform sale of art and antiquities looted from heritage sites across Syria and Iraq
Although most people have no idea how to access the dark web, their exposure on this hidden, crime-ridden corner of the internet continues to grow.
Six million hacked personal accounts were added to the dark web last week, adding to the 6.5 billion personal records already available in the internet’s netherworld, stolen from websites where internet users entrust their personal information every day.
This leaked data is passed around in forums where hackers gloat about their recent cybercrimes, and scammers go shopping for identities to steal.
These forums are just one part of a network of websites beneath the internet’s surface, where marketplaces trade drugs, and syndicates peddle child pornography and “hurtcore” torture videos. It’s possible there’s even hitmen for hire, though no one seems to know for sure.
The mystery is a key factor of the dark web, which can only be accessed using special software and, once you’re in, knowing where to go. Anonymous and monetised, with difficult-to-trace cryptocurrencies, the dark web is ideal for illicit activity.