{"id":35789,"date":"2023-06-07T01:49:09","date_gmt":"2023-06-06T20:19:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=35789"},"modified":"2025-04-21T12:11:57","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T06:41:57","slug":"what-is-dark-net","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/what-is-dark-net\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Dark Net?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>What\u2019s in today\u2019s article?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Why in news?<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>What is Dark Net?<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>How it operates?<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>The dark web vs. the deep web<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>What are the Uses of Dark Net?<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Is accessing the dark web legal in India?<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>What are the Regulatory Challenges in regulating the dark web?<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>What India is doing?<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Way forward<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Why in news?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The Narcotics Control Bureau busted a pan-India drugs trafficking network operating on the dark web with the largest ever seizure of 15,000 LSD blots in one operation.\n<ul>\n<li>LSD or <strong>lysergic acid diethylamide<\/strong> is a synthetic chemical based-drug and is categorised as a hallucinogen.<\/li>\n<li>Possession of 0.1 gram of LSD, which is the commercial quantity for the hallucinogenic drug, invites strict legal action under the <strong>Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>The network, which operated in the darknet and used cryptocurrencies for payments, was spread across Poland, the Netherlands, the US and various states in India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What is Dark Net?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Dark Net, also referred to as dark web or darknet, is a maze of secret websites which can be accessed only through encrypted channels.\n<ul>\n<li>In other words, it is the hidden collective of internet <u>sites only accessible by a specialized web browser<\/u>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>It is used for keeping internet activity anonymous and private, which can be helpful in both legal and illegal applications.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>How it operates?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The dark web operates in secrecy using <strong>The Onion Router (ToR).<\/strong>\u00a0\n<ul>\n<li>Tor is free and open-source software for enabling anonymous communication.<\/li>\n<li>It is an Internet based system to prevent eavesdropping and traffic analysis attacks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Experts say darknet is very tough to penetrate owing to its end-to-end encryption.\u00a0\n<ul>\n<li>The access to darknet is possible only through specialized browsers like Tor, Freenet, I2P and Tails to surf the darknet anonymously.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>The privacy-centric browser like Tor routes the web page requests through proxy servers thus making your IP address untraceable.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>The dark web vs. the deep web<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Both the dark and deep web share one thing in common: Neither can be found in search engine results.<\/li>\n<li>The difference between them primarily <u>lies in how their content is accessed<\/u>.\n<ul>\n<li>Deep web pages can be accessed by anyone with a standard web browser who knows the URL.<\/li>\n<li>Dark web pages, in contrast, require special software with the correct decryption key, as well as access rights and knowledge of where to find the content.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What are the Uses of Dark Net?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Nowadays, darknet has become a hidden platform meant for the sale and purchase of much of the contraband items like\u00a0\n<ul>\n<li>drugs, arms, pornographic content and other illegal activities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Due to its ability to provide an anonymous cover, the platform has become a safe haven for criminals dealing in every kind of illegal activity.<\/li>\n<li>The matter gets complicated with the evolution of cryptocurrencies like bitcoin.<\/li>\n<li><strong>It is also used by people who require privacy for entirely legal reasons.<\/strong>\u00a0\n<ul>\n<li>E.g., the exchange of proprietary business information or communication by political activists.<\/li>\n<li>Darknet helps to protect the right to freedom of information and online privacy of individuals and is <u>therefore often used by journalists and other activists<\/u>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>One ethical use for the dark web is for law enforcement and threat intelligence agencies.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>These types of professionals may search the dark web for signs of cybersecurity or data breaches, illegal activity, scams or other emerging threats.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Is accessing the dark web legal in India?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><u>Accessing the dark web is legal in India<\/u><\/strong>. The Indian government does not recognize it as an illegal activity.<\/li>\n<li>However, this doesn\u2019t mean one is free to do whatever he\/she wants.<\/li>\n<li>Various activities like child pornography, buying guns, pistols, rifles, drugs, etc. are considered to be illegal.<\/li>\n<li>Hence, <u>the dark web is not illegal. It is the activity or the intent of a person that is taken into account while using the dark web<\/u>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What are the Regulatory Challenges in regulating the dark web?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The biggest challenge with respect to regulation of the dark web <u>is its encryption technique and anonymity<\/u>.<\/li>\n<li>Apart from the strong encryption techniques, most financial transactions on the dark web are performed in cryptocurrencies which provide further anonymity.<\/li>\n<li>The trans-border nature of the dark web further complicates the matter.<\/li>\n<li>Ensuring <strong>right to freedom of information and online privacy<\/strong> while eliminating while eliminating the illegal activities thriving on dark web is a challenge.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What India is doing?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>In August 2021, at the <u>BRICS meeting<\/u>, India discussed the misuse of the darknet for drug trafficking during a webinar conference of BRICS nations.\u00a0\n<ul>\n<li>The group of nations will soon be coming up with a solution.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>A comprehensive legislative policy to deal with this domain is being discussed.\n<ul>\n<li>It was deliberated upon in <u>56th All-India DGP-IGP Conference<\/u> being held at UP Police headquarters, Lucknow.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Way forward<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Implement such a system where freely available VPNs are banned.<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>For this, the government should create an authority under the Information Technology Act, 2000.<\/li>\n<li>The government may create a mandatory charge for VPN registration.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Develop close cooperation between public and private organisations<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>It will help in dealing with the new and emerging technological challenges of the dark web, by providing solutions such as new encrypting tools, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Foster international cooperation in the form of multilateral exchanges<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>It will help in dealing with the challenges of the trans-border nature of the dark web.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Adopt China Model<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Many security experts argue that it is high time that India adopted the \u2018China model\u2019, <u>wherein the great firewall of China, blocks Tor traffic<\/u>.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>On similar lines, The Incredible Firewall of India will affect a body-blow to flourishing darknet crime.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>Q1)<\/strong> <strong>What is Virtual Private Network (VPN)?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a technology that creates a secure and encrypted connection over a public network, such as the internet. It allows users to establish a private network across a public network, effectively extending their private network resources and securing their online activities.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Q2)\u00a0What is The Onion Router (ToR)?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The Onion Router (Tor) is a free and open-source software project that provides anonymous communication over a network. It was initially developed by the United States Naval Research Laboratory in the 1990s and has since become a widely used tool for online privacy and security.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Source:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/india\/darknet-based-drug-cartel-busted-with-largest-ever-lsd-seizure-8648466\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>Darknet-based drug cartel busted with \u2018largest ever\u2019 LSD seizure, six arrests, says NCB<\/u><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/ncb-busts-pan-india-darknet-based-drug-cartel-network\/article66937126.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>The Hindu<\/u><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/idsa.in\/issuebrief\/the-dark-web-and-regulatory-challenges-dbhattacharya-230721\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>IDSA<\/u><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/blogs\/voices\/darknet-haven-for-illegal-online-activity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>Times of India<\/u><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/cities\/mumbai\/the-dark-web-and-how-police-deal-with-it-5359482\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>Indian Express<\/u><\/a>\u00a0\\\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.techtarget.com\/whatis\/definition\/dark-web\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>Techtarget<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The dark web operates in secrecy using The Onion Router (ToR).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":35790,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-35789","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35789","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35789"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35789\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35790"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}