The anonymity of illicit activity on the dark web cloaks an enterprise of mounting concern to authorities. One site alone generated an estimated $219 million in annual revenue as of 2017, according to a new NIJ-supported report by the RAND Corporation (RAND). The report, “Identifying Law Enforcement Needs for Conducting Criminal Investigations Involving Evidence on the Dark Web,” explores better ways to investigate dark web crimes. Although the dark web still accounts for just a fraction of all illicit sales online, it appears poised for rapid growth, according to the report.
The Intersection of Pornography and the Dark Web
TOR quickly increased its popularity in 2008 after the launch of its browser version that can be downloaded on computers or smartphones making it easily available to the wider public. The Internet was used by half of the households in North America in the early 2000s and by most (90%) of the households by 2018 (Martin 2021). With it, the Internet changed nature from a publishing medium to a participatory medium; a place where users can communicate, interact, and create user-generated content in budding virtual communities. By now, some of these communities have become household names (e.g., Facebook, Twitter), every day serving billions of users worldwide. Outside the mainstream, however, hundreds of thousands of smaller virtual communities exist orbiting around a user’s personal characteristics and experiences, religious beliefs or political opinions, and other subjects of shared interest.
The dark web is often associated with illegal activities, ranging from the sale of drugs to stolen data. One of the less discussed aspects of the dark web is its proliferation of pornography, which can take on various forms, some of which are highly controversial and illegal.
Tor’s Most Visited Hidden Sites Host Child Abuse Images
The site was structured so to allow easy retrieval of images and video of “the most serious sexual abuse of young children,” police said. “An increase in reports does correspond to an increase in instances of abuse,” Paul Jenkins, an officer with the U.K.’s National Crime Agency, said at the press conference. He went on to say that viewing child exploitation videos online incites pedophiles to abuse children in real life and inspires them to make content to later upload. The deep web is the part of the internet you can’t access through search engines like Google and Bing. Also referred to as “non-indexed” content, it’s any content hidden behind some kind of access control such as a log-in or code word.
Infiltrations can put you at risk of monitoring for other types of activity as well. Evading government restrictions to explore new political ideologies can be an imprisonable offense in some countries. China uses what is known as the “Great Firewall” limit access to popular sites for this exact reason.
Obviously, finding these .onion websites is the first challenge, as they won’t show up in Google search results. You can’t just Google “Silk Road” and hope to land on the dark website. If you want to use Tor privately, you can use either a VPN or Tor Bridges (Tor nodes that are not publicly indexed).
Psychiatrists, behaviouralists and even judges are divided on whether this is an effective form of discipline, though it’s viewed as a stronger message than moral policing. The justice system, however, needs to be speedy and robust for such punishments to have an impact. Such activities stray far from the dark web’s origins in the 1990s, when US Naval researchers created a technology for communicating anonymously online. They constructed an internet browser with built-in layers of encryption and its own set of domain names.
They kept it open to the public to generate more traffic that would camouflage their own activity. Studies suggest that the majority of Tor hidden service activity is illicit. For example, a study in 2014 found that nearly 60% of hidden services contain illegal content such as drugs, weapons and stolen goods.
Understanding the Dark Web
The dark web refers to parts of the internet that are not indexed by traditional search engines like Google. Accessible only through specialized software such as Tor, the dark web offers users a high degree of anonymity. This anonymity can appeal to individuals seeking explicit adult content.
Forms of Pornography Found on the Dark Web
Several types of pornography are prevalent on the dark web, including:
- Illegal content: This can include videos of minors or non-consensual acts.
- Extreme pornography: Materials that depict graphic violence or extreme fetishes.
- Amateur content: Unregulated sites can host videos produced by individuals or small groups.
- Subscription-based sites: Certain platforms offer paid access to curated adult content.
Legal and Ethical Implications
The consumption and distribution of pornography on the dark web raise significant legal and ethical questions:
- Note you should use a separate browser than the one you normally use to help ensure anonymity.
- It’s designed specifically for people in high-surveillance or restricted countries who can’t access Facebook freely.
- Such criminal activity typically falls across multiple jurisdictions, making detection and prosecution difficult.
- According to the person who was interviewed, illegal things are sold on the web including weapons, drugs and even child pornography.
- Legal risks: Accessing illegal content can result in severe legal consequences.
- Ethical considerations: The production and sharing of non-consensual pornography pose moral dilemmas.
- Impact on society: The normalization of extreme content can desensitize viewers and perpetuate harmful stereotypes.
Risks Associated with Accessing Pornography on the Dark Web
Engaging with pornography on the dark web is fraught with risks, including:
- Malware: Many sites are laden with viruses that can compromise personal devices.
- Privacy concerns: Despite the anonymity, users can still be traced.
- Exploitation: Many performers are often victims of coercion or human trafficking.
FAQs about Pornography and the Dark Web
Q: Is all pornography on the dark web illegal?
A: Not all content is illegal, but much of it is unregulated and could involve ethical concerns.
Q: How can one access the dark web?
A: Access requires special software like Tor, and users should understand the legal implications beforehand.
Q: Are there safer alternatives to accessing adult content?
A: Yes, many legal adult content sites prioritize the safety and consent of performers.
Q: What should I do if I encounter illegal content?
A: It is advisable to report it to the relevant authorities and refrain from engaging with it further.
Conclusion
The relationship between pornography and the dark web is intricate and fraught with legal, ethical, and societal implications. While the dark web provides access to a variety of content, it is essential for individuals to approach this arena with caution and awareness of the potential consequences.
