Darknet

This article is about network technology. For other uses, see Darknet (disambiguation). For websites that exist on top of this technology, see dark web.

A darknet or dark net is an overlay network within the Internet that can only be accessed with specific software, configurations, or authorization,[1] and often uses a unique customized communication protocol. Two typical darknet types are social networks[2] (usually used for file hosting with a peer-to-peer connection),[3] and anonymity proxy networks such as Tor via an anonymized series of connections.[4]

The term "darknet" was popularized by major news outlets and was associated with Tor Onion services when the infamous drug bazaar Silk Road used it,[5] despite the terminology being unofficial. Technology such as Tor, I2P, and Freenet are intended to defend digital rights by providing security, anonymity, or censorship resistance and are used for both illegal and legitimate reasons. Anonymous communication between whistle-blowers, activists, journalists and news organisations is also facilitated by darknets through use of applications such as SecureDrop.[6]

  1. ^ Gayard, Laurent (2018). Darknet: Geopolitics and Uses. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. p. 158. ISBN 9781786302021.
  2. ^ Wood, Jessica (July 2010) [1 January 2010, the majority was completed by the original date]. "The Darknet: A Digital Copyright Revolution". Richmond Journal of Law & Technology. 16 (4): 14. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  3. ^ Mansfield-Devine, Steve (1 December 2009). "Darknets". Computer Fraud & Security. 2009 (12): 4–6. doi:10.1016/S1361-3723(09)70150-2.
  4. ^ Pradhan, Sayam (2020). "Anonymous". The Darkest Web: The Dark Side of the Internet. India: Pothi. p. 9. ISBN 9798561755668.
  5. ^ Martin, James (2014). Drugs on the Dark Net: How Cryptomarkets are Transforming the Global Trade in Illicit Drugs. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 2. ISBN 9781349485666.
  6. ^ Press Foundation, Freedom of the. "SecureDrop". github. Freedom of the Press Foundation. Archived from the original on 16 April 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2019.