Many believe the Deep Web is separate from the Internet, but it is no more separate than the part of a ship that’s below the water line. The Internet and the Deep Web are inextricably interwoven; after all, you need only the TOR browser to access it.
It’s easy to glamorize the Deep Web. Terrorists and criminals can use the deep web for things such as human trafficking. But all is not bad with the Deep Web: it is a constant source of innovation.
The Dark Net May Be the Only True Free Market Economy
The most innovative companies on the planet are those operating in the most competitive and inhospitable conditions. The Dark Net is the world’s most risky market with billions of dollars being traded, but all the while governments and FBI-like organizations are breathing down the necks of Dark Net operators. The penalty for being caught is long-term imprisonment with the key thrown away.
The Dark Net Innovation Machine
But the Dark Net has its advantages and benefits: it’s the world’s most decentralized marketplace, it is difficult to censor, it isn’t overwhelmed with advertisements, and to keep customers, its customer friendliness is second to none.
One of the great innovations of the Dark Net is its use of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. People buying illicit products and services don’t want to use a credit card which can be traced back to their place of residence and/or their identity. Cryptocurrencies allow for completely anonymous transactions and can be exchanged into “real-world” currencies. To keep businesses on the Dark Net from running away with people’s money, a new system of multi-signature escrow payments requiring an independent third party escrow company to sign off on transactions was created.
It is innovations like this that make the Dark Net a harbinger of how the future Internet will work.
The following is a quick overview of the Deep Web:
Following is an infographic showing the five levels of the Deep Web:
