Publisher's Synopsis
Ever hear of the "Dark Web"? If so, you may think it sounds rather mysterious, maybe even ominous. If that's what you think, your instincts are right -- and the Dark Web now has tens of thousands of websites and many millions of daily users.
What are all those people doing on the Dark Web? Well, some people just feel strongly about their privacy and prefer to hang out where they can't be tracked and watched by anyone. Even Facebook has a website on the Dark Web where they don't keep logs on user activity. That's what the Dark Web is all about -- PRIVACY! Everyone from activists, whistleblowers, journalists, businesses, militaries, and everyday people use the Dark Web to block tracking and be anonymous.
Naturally, cybercriminals have flocked to the Dark Web, too. Many of the Dark Web's most widely known websites have been criminal enterprises. At the top of the list are sites selling illegal drugs, including illegally obtained prescription medicines. Many other sites facilitate financial crime, such as money laundering, counterfeiting, or trade in stolen accounts or credit cards.
But the Dark Web gets even darker than simple cybercrime. Hundreds of websites espouse extremist ideologies or support for terrorist violence, some with how-to guides or extremist community forums. Over 100 known sites peddle child pornography. Dozens of sites tout everything from hacking tools and malware to weapons and hitmen for hire.
The Secret Story of the Dark Web exposes some of the more nefarious illegal activity that occurs on the Dark Web. Discover how the amorphous hacktivist collective called Anonymous has extirpated dozens of websites in its relentless mission to purge the Dark Web of child pornography. Learn how the "Kingpin of Child Porn" was caught because of a simple misstep. Find out how the 23-year old Canadian mastermind behind the largest illegal drug marketplace ever -- AlphaBay Market -- made $23 million in a few short years before his takedown by the FBI, only to be found dead in his jail cell in Thailand just days after his arrest.
