Why Is the Dark Web Not Safe for Internet Users?

In our day-to-day life, a big part of the day is spent interacting or surfing the internet. Accessing information has become super easy with the help of the internet. Be it academic, governmental, sports, or related to something else, you will always find something on the internet. What is surprising is the fact that these millions of websites that are visible to the general public are just the tip of the iceberg.

What lies beneath the tip is something unimaginably big. That is where the dark web lies. How to access the dark web in New Zealand or anywhere in the world is not a significant concern. The primary concern is that the dark web is not safe. As to why it is not safe, that is what we are going to explore.

What Is Dark Web?

The dark web was created in the 1990s for the military. The intention was to give them a communication platform without getting a word out. So, it was an excellent way to stay anonymous. However, later in 2004, the US military decided to make the code available online for free.

Simply put, the dark web is a collection of hidden websites. For instance, the search engines we use, Google or Bing, cannot find these sites. The owners of these websites obscure the IP addresses of these sites to keep them out of sight of the general public. You can use these hidden sites for both legal and illegal matters. However, most of the activities on the dark web are indeed unlawful. Cryptocurrency scams and drug trafficking are some examples.

How Is the Dark Web Accessed?

Accessing the dark web requires special techniques and tools. The mechanism used for the dark web is The Onion Routing (TOR). Why onions, you may think. Have you ever noticed how many layers an onion has? There are multiple, and that is the point here.

Data is wrapped with multiple encryptions and then passed to the routers. Each router sheds a layer of encryption and sends the data packet to the next hop router. Shedding a layer is continuously carried out until the intended user reaches the data. That is how the dark web is accessed. This technique of multiple encryption layers makes the user and website anonymous. However, it makes the surfing somehow slow.

What Risks Are Associated With The Dark Web?

While finding websites on the dark web is not easy as they are not available to the public, accessing the dark web is never recommended for general internet users. As it is not available to ordinary internet users, people are unaware of the norms, and scammers can take advantage of it. To know how exactly, let’s check the reasons.

1. The Government Will Be Watching You

As the dark web is also used for illegal activities, the government and other agencies keep an eye on it. Prohibited activities include child abuse, drug trafficking, selling weapons, and many more sinful acts. Therefore, while trying to enter the black hole of the dark web, you will be in danger if you stumble upon any criminal website, even by accident.

2. You Can Be Ransomed

Firewalls or other virus-preventing techniques do not protect the dark web. It means you never know if the website you are visiting is safe or not. As a result, you might get malicious viruses on your computer or smartphone. These viruses can compromise your private data, including financial details.

3. You Can Become A Deep Fake Victim

As your device is more likely to get infected, the hackers behind those viruses can cross any limits to harm you. Getting an image of you from your device is extremely easy for those hackers. It is alarming that they can use your picture to destroy your self-esteem and personality.

Deep fake refers to an imaging technology that uses deep Artificial Intelligence (AI) to counterfeit images. With your image in the wrong hands, they can replace someone else’s face with yours to put you in severely sinful acts.

For instance, they can replace the face of a murderer with yours. From there, you will be in a severe condition. The hackers will Ransome you while you are still in danger of getting yourself into a legal court procedure.

4. Scam

The dark web is very unregulated, and you never know in advance whether the website you are paying for is legitimate or not. Hackers are very clever, and they know every trick to fool you. They will provide you with services initially but might scam you and run away with your money.

5. Cloning Your Voice

Professional malicious actors can clone your voice and use it to blackmail or threaten banks and organizations, making you a wanted criminal. Of course, the real culprit will be entirely safe, but it will destroy your life if things spiral out of control.

Conclusion

The websites people visit on the internet are not all that’s out there. For example, several websites on the internet are hidden from general internet users. In addition, some websites can be used for legal purposes, like secret communications between organizations. At the same time, others are primarily used for sinister acts. Therefore, you must know that accessing the dark web is never safe. There are always severe risks associated with it, so beware.