[cidamelo]

Hi friends, I've been reading some articles about deep web, I just can't believe something like this is so easily accessed, is it real or just a myth?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/inte...hild-abuse.html
http://gawker.com/5805928/the-underground-...drug-imaginable

[Jay]

It's real.

It's anything that does not get covered by web crawlers, which for most people is all they're ever likely to see. If it's not on Google, it's deep web.

[El Zilcho]

It is real, and exaggerated as some secret zone quite frequently. The majority of the Deep Web is simply un-categorized or non-indexed data, left out by web crawlers such as those used by Google. This renders most of it invisible, by virtue of being undetected. However, most of this is innocuous and uninteresting data dumps or simply pages with no exterior links.

The more interesting and macabre things you'll find on Tor .onion sites (what is commonly refereed to the Deep Web, the deliberately hidden rather than randomly inaccessible) which are usually the illegal / amoral / intriguing content that is protected by its veil of anonymity - child pornography, narcotics sale sites, anarchist and revolutionary forums and terrorism (such as Jihad sites). There are other illegal areas such as stolen goods markets and fake identification, as well as hideously shocking rape fantasy sites (all too worryingly with some basis in fact considering the abundance of paedophiles). Of course there are also amateur sites that play on the Deep Web reputations; such as hoax assassination markets, the fake Human experiments on homeless people, and of imageboards full of gore or supposedly 'banned' books. The majority of these can be accessed by the .onion Hidden Wiki, a catalogue of various different locales.

The Deep Web can be accessed with Tor and other anonymous browsing networks, although I'd recommend multiple proxies if you intend on browsing the more unnerving and questionable content, without fear of prosecution or misunderstandings with the law regarding what you do. If you don't download anything it should be alright, but the fact that the Deep Web is also frequented by hackers means that you can be at risk of many things unrelated to the law, depending on where you go. Be prepared for viruses; there have even been cases of people being watched through their webcams (put black tape over it). Don't ever download .pdfs.

But not a hoax. Exaggerated and steeped in mystique, it is mostly just a haphazard and humongous mess of disorganised data. There is no 'Marinas Web' of exceptionally secretive or fascinating information, just a lot of strange and disgusting content in the mire of the unseen.

This post has been edited by El Zilcho on Wednesday, Aug 1 2012, 19:22

[TheGreatGig23]

This is quite interesting. I've never heard of it before. I have a question that I hope someone can shed some light on.

Here's a quote from the article:

QUOTE

The way I see it, in this instance, the Anonymous collective did a public service by exposing it and Lolita City. The authorities either lack the skills to do this, or, they are legally bound not to.

I can understand that people can lack the skills necessary to do something like this but why on Earth would they be legally bound to withhold that kind of information? Is it to protect ongoing cases or something?

[El Zilcho]

The way anonymous networks operate makes it nigh impossible to track legitimately (IPs scrambled by routing your connection through nodes). As such, Tor acts simply as a vehicle for anonymity. I don't think they're obliged to give information, or rather they cannot simply due to the nature of the technology. Sites like that frequently more around too, making tracking it intensely difficult. I'm not sure if I'm correct but the raids by 4chan may have been DDOS, which obviously isn't used by law enforcement (it may have been more expositionary than that, I can't recall).

[cidamelo]

Hi friends, thank you for the explanations! But I don't understand, it is just use this TOR thing and you have access to these things?? This is horrible!! I thought those bad things like drug trafficking or child pornography were more hidden!!!

[El Zilcho]

QUOTE (cidamelo @ Wednesday, Aug 1 2012, 20:35)

Hi friends, thank you for the explanations? But I don't understand, it is just use this TOR thing and you have access to these things?? This is horrible!! I thought those bad things like drug trafficking or child pornography were more hidden!!!

No. Once you're on Tor, you still have to have find the addresses of sites. This is next to impossible without access to the Hidden Wiki, as with no search engines you're starting from scratch. Of course, this being the internet, there are plenty of resources about with links. Pastebin is a source of lots of addresses, updated periodically. As you can see, the .onion urls are randomly generated and usually change, making it even harder to access. I'm fairly certain that the worst sites are password protected or require membership.

This post has been edited by El Zilcho on Wednesday, Aug 1 2012, 19:43

[Throw]

QUOTE (cidamelo @ Wednesday, Aug 1 2012, 19:35)

bad things like drug trafficking

Please elaborate on your opinion of drugs and their legalization..

[860]

QUOTE (Throw @ Wednesday, Aug 1 2012, 22:40)

QUOTE (cidamelo @ Wednesday, Aug 1 2012, 19:35) bad things like drug trafficking Please elaborate on your opinion of drugs and their legalization..

Why? So you can whip out your epic debating skills? This topic is about the deep web, not drugs. If you feel like debating, go here.

[EscoLehGo]

This type of internet sorcery is beyond my skill level, I best stay away from it lest harm be done.

[cidamelo]

El Zilcho but it's just using these links with TOR, and you're into it? I'm shocked if it is like this! And the drugs really are delivered!!
Throw unfortunately I used drugs in my youth but now I'm TOTALLY against it! It just give us a temporaly preasure which guides to major problems! I've lost friends because of it!

[El Zilcho]

QUOTE (cidamelo @ Wednesday, Aug 1 2012, 21:13)

El Zilcho but it's just using these links with TOR, and you're into it? I'm shocked if it is like this! And the drugs really are delivered!!

I'm not quite sure I follow what you're asking. I don't personally access the Deep Web because I'm on a shared computer and it's far too risky to browse willy nilly. Not to mention there isn't much on there for me (apart from the novelty of reading some apparently forbidden stuff, you can most probably get it all screencapped on 4chan if you spend enough time, I' know I've seen a lot on there from Deep Web.) Nevertheless, it's nature intrigues me and so I know a little on it from personal research.

And yes, sites like the Silk Road do deliver. I'm not sure why people would risk a paper trail over local sources, but I'm sure buyers have their motivations.

[cidamelo]

El Zilcho are you brazilian? So I'll ask in Portuguese because my English is very bad É só ter esse tal de TOR e acessar esses links esquisitos desse pastebin, é isso a deep web? I don't want to access it, no way!! I just want to know if is that easy... I don't know why many people like this 4chan!! I don't like its layout, it's too messed up!

[Criminal]

I don't see the big deal. If this stuff happens in real life, it's really not much of a stretch that it'd happen over something as global as the internet. Hell, acts of cannibalism happen over the regular net too in foreign countries less strictly monitored (Armin Meiwes).

Most people who bring it up don't seem to know much about it and are only intrigued cause it's mysterious and has a cool name.

[Robinski]

I had someone I lived with a while back get into the Deep Web, just to sate his curiosity. Told me he found some sites selling loads of dodgy stuff like guns and hardcore drugs, as well as what he described as "restricted" chemicals. I'd heard about the Deep/Dark Web before obviously, but frankly I'm staying wilfully ignorant. I genuinely don't want to know the true depths of the awfulness of people out there on the internet.

And even if I did, it's hardly worth the chance of ending up on a government watch list.

[K^2]

Cida, it's that easy, yes. All you need is a client for an anonymous onion network (TOR or I2P) and an address. If you spend some times on public forums and wikis set up under these networks, you'll learn how to look for things pretty quickly.


I would like to emphasize that while there is a lot of illegal activity on these networks, they are doing more good than harm overall. Anonymous networks are the principle mode of communication between various groups working for human rights in countries where that sort of thing will get you thrown in prison or worse. A lot of people from China, Vietnam, and Middle East are using these networks to get access to the internet without censorship their country imposes.

Giving people who live in countries with dictatorial regimes the freedom to do something about it far outweighs the inconvenience of having some people share illegal pictures or best ways to grow pot in your basement. Access to this information does not really enable child abuse or drug trafficking, which are real problems. Access to this information does enable people to fight dictatorial regimes. It's really pretty straight forward.

[Dragonjack]

Has the Governement ever spoken about "deep web?" because to me this is just wrong and not right in my opinion.

[Captain VXR]

Heard about it before, I've considered buying some weed off there to see if it's any good, but I haven't got round to it yet

[El Zilcho]

QUOTE (cidamelo @ Wednesday, Aug 1 2012, 21:37)

El Zilcho are you brazilian? So I'll ask in Portuguese because my English is very bad  É só ter esse tal de TOR e acessar esses links esquisitos desse pastebin, é isso a deep web?  I don't want to access it, no way!! I just want to know if is that easy...  I don't know why many people like this 4chan!! I don't like its layout, it's too messed up!

I'm Brazilian but I was only born there, hence I speak English only (I live in the UK). Sorry

And K^2 has a good point there - these networks provide the only uncensored internet for people worldwide, and so are indispensable, and very much a technology for good. But as humans, our interests are piqued by the darkest depths and hence we find our selves speaking at length about the scum who can be found on the Deep Web. However, K^2, you've also stated a bit of a fallacy there. Criminal gangs who run child prostitution and pornography rings only do so because their clients have a access to these sites... without safeguards on clients anonymity, it stands to reason there would be less of a market, and hence less abuse of children.

[cidamelo]

K^2 thank you for the explanation I am talking about this deep web thing because my newer son (he is 14 years old) said some friends of him accessed terrible things through this deep web (my son said he has never entered it, and so I hope!! ) so I was thinking maybe his friends were just lying, but now I know it's true Obviously I knew things like these existed on the web, but I thought they were more hidden! Like you've said, deep web has its good side, but I think it's horrible to young and curious kids to have such an easy access to its bad things!!
Captain VXR Have you read the second link? They bought drugs for real!! Shocking! It's too 'steampunk'!