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Dark Web
About Dark Web
The Dark Web is a reality that has existed since the beginning of the internet. While there is a load of information indexed on the web, easily accessible by anyone with internet connectivity irrespective of geography, there is even more information and data that do not come to notice because it is hidden and requires special privileges to access. This unchartered portion of the web is called Dark Web.
How is Dark Web different from Web
Information on the dark web is not defined by regulations and content policies. Moreover, web pages serving information on the dark web do not appear on search engines result pages (SERP) like those from Google and Bing because they are hidden and not indexed. Therefore, the dark web includes information that is not easily accessible by everyone. Besides, the web pages serving information on the dark web are marked unsafe by browsers and do not open on Chrome, Firefox, Opera, etc.
What is there on Dark Web
Dark Web is home to all sorts of information but it has gained bad reputation because of prevalence of widespread illegal content such as illicit p*rnography, sale of black market drugs, sale of illegal firearms, illegally acquired users’ database, etc. The availability of such content of illegal nature makes the dark web a suitable place for criminals. However, it is not just for criminals; journalists can use it to gather information from sources without risking their identity, whistleblowers can use it to expose corporate and government corruption, etc.
Is Dark Web illegal
While accessing the Dark Web is not illegal, its use to acquire illegal content and procure prohibited items is. For example, surfing the dark web is legal but procuring pirated copies of movies and games is illegal. Similarly, accessing information is not illegal unless the information is classified and crucial to the nation's security. Using Dark Web to access illicit content like child p*rnography, and procure prohibited items like drugs and guns is also illegal.
How to safely access Dark Web
To access dark web, one needs a specialised software with peer-to-peer networking support built-in besides other browser features. Currently, there are two software that support these – Tor and I2P. These are web browsers with added tools to encrypt web traffic for safety and security. It is possible to access the dark web anonymously through these software. Moreover, virtual private network (VPN) service adds another layer of security here. However, these software offer no fool-proof protection and one must be careful accessing dark web. As best practice, it is evoked not to reveal real identity on the dark web. Moreover, one should not use banking and other financial services through these software.
Latest Updates on Dark Web
52 of 53 top apps in India use 'dark patterns', says ASCI study
The report said that ethical design alternatives and choice architecture in apps should be introduced to bring down such cases
Updated On : 01 Aug 2024 | 11:44 PM IST
Eyes on dark web: How Indian firms can protect their data from cyberthieves
To mitigate risks from dark web, organisations should implement cybersecurity monitoring that includes preparation, detection, analysis, containment, eradication, recovery, and post-activity measures
Updated On : 04 Jul 2024 | 7:23 AM IST
Consumer affairs secretary warns e-commerce sites on dark patterns
The government has been working towards eliminating the usage of dark patterns by e-commerce platforms
Updated On : 18 Jun 2024 | 10:25 PM IST
Boat suffers data breach: Personal data of 7.5 mn users leaked on dark web
The threat actor has put out around 2 Gigabytes of personally identifiable information (PII) of boAt users on dark web forums, claimed the reports
Updated On : 08 Apr 2024 | 10:37 PM IST
Data of 7.5 mn boAt customers leaked on dark web: Forbes India report
The personal data of 7.5 million boAt customers is a being sold at just two euros on the dark web
Updated On : 08 Apr 2024 | 4:39 PM IST
67% of consumers experienced subscription trap: LocalCircles survey
Over 1 in 2 consumers surveyed who bought something via app or software platforms said they experienced dark patterns like subscription trap, drip pricing and bait and switch, said the survey
Updated On : 12 Feb 2024 | 8:18 PM IST
'Virtual currency, e-payments, dark web attracts terrorist organisations'
According to a Financial Action Task Force (FATF) report, virtual currencies such as Bitcoin have increasingly been used in various illegal and criminal activities and terror financing
Updated On : 05 Feb 2024 | 11:29 PM IST
Indian national pleads guilty in US to running dark web drug enterprise
Customers ordered controlled substances from Singh using the vendor sites and by paying with cryptocurrency
Updated On : 29 Jan 2024 | 3:30 PM IST
Personal information of 750 mn Indians up for sale on dark web: CloudSEK
The dataset allegedly encompasses around 85 per cent of the Indian population, making it one of the largest breaches of its kind
Updated On : 25 Jan 2024 | 9:24 PM IST
How well can govt's dark pattern rules curb customer manipulation online?
You looked for tickets on a travel website and it showed a particular price. But, within minutes, the price increased
Updated On : 12 Dec 2023 | 10:41 PM IST
Battling dark patterns
Ensuring consumer protection on the web will boost growth
Updated On : 04 Dec 2023 | 9:10 PM IST
Develop digital forensic infrastructure to deal with Dark Web: NHRC chief
"We must invest and develop a broad-based digital forensic infrastructure to tackle the misuse of cyberspace and criminal commerce. At the same time we have to ensure the digital divide is not there"
Updated On : 26 Nov 2023 | 7:32 PM IST
Banks focusing on client acquisition, less on grievance redress: RBI's Rao
Deputy guv says efforts to provide timely solutions to grievances have not kept pace with technology
Updated On : 23 Nov 2023 | 11:05 PM IST
Centre issues advisory for social media platforms regarding deepfakes
Deepfakes are videos creating delusion with the use of deep learning, AI, and photoshopping techniques to make images of fake events
Updated On : 07 Nov 2023 | 8:36 PM IST
Aadhaar data of 815 million on sale on the dark web, says report
The hacker was willing to sell the entire Aadhaar and Indian passport dataset for 80,000 US dollars when contacted by Resecurity
Updated On : 30 Oct 2023 | 10:50 PM IST
Govt launches hackathon to tackle 'dark patterns' on some online platform
This is the third hackathon the consumer affairs department is organising after the successful hackathon on onion and tomato, he said
Updated On : 26 Oct 2023 | 6:04 PM IST
WormGPT: A malicious cousin of ChatGPT with no ethical boundaries
A new AI tool has been developed called WormGPT, which aims to launch sophisticated phishing and business email compromise (BEC) attacks. The WormGPT could be accessed only through the dark web
Updated On : 21 Jul 2023 | 4:19 PM IST
Google to expand its Dark Web monitoring tool to all Gmail users in US
Google has announced that it will expand its Dark Web monitoring to all Gmail users in the US and later to international markets
Updated On : 14 May 2023 | 12:13 PM IST
Data of 600,000 HDFC Bank customers' leaked on dark web, bank denies
After reports surfaced that personal information of nearly 6 lakh customers of HDFC Bank was allegedly leaked on the Dark Web, the bank said on Tuesday there has been no data leak of its customers
Updated On : 07 Mar 2023 | 4:54 PM IST
Data of 30 mn railway users compromised, personal details on dark web
Breach not from IRCTC, says Railways; private partners on Centre's radar
Updated On : 29 Dec 2022 | 11:00 AM IST