Video summary
The internet is often misunderstood as a single entity, but it actually consists of three distinct layers: the open web, the deep web, and the dark web. The open web comprises the regular websites we visit daily, while the deep web includes private areas like online banking that require passwords to access. The dark web represents the third and most dangerous layer, which is not accessible through standard browsers or search engines like Google. To enter this hidden realm, users must employ specialized software such as Tor, which routes connections through multiple layers of encryption to conceal a user's location and identity. Unlike the open web, there are no public directories for the dark web; instead, access requires knowing specific addresses that often end in ".onion," information that is typically shared among criminals via encrypted messaging platforms.
Although the technology behind the dark web was originally developed in the 1980s by the US Army for secure military communication, it has unfortunately evolved into a marketplace for illegal activities and stolen data. This underground economy facilitates the trade of stolen credit cards, personal information, and even documents like passports and driver's licenses. However, purchasing items here carries significant risks because there is no guarantee of legitimacy; buyers often encounter fraudsters who sell fake goods or non-existent services. Despite these dangers, a strange form of competition exists among criminals, where some sellers attempt to prove their reliability by providing real stolen images of celebrities, such as hacked nude photos of famous actors, to attract customers and earn five-star ratings within this illicit ecosystem.
The most severe and disturbing content found on the dark web involves what are known as "red rooms," which allow users to pay money to watch live streams of sexual violence or even give orders to perpetrators. These sites operate by kidnapping vulnerable individuals, such as homeless women, and forcing them into a room where they can be abused for an audience willing to pay in cryptocurrency like Bitcoin. Accessing these rooms is technically straightforward for those who know how, requiring only a QR code scan and a payment, but the moral and legal implications are catastrophic. The anonymity provided by the network makes tracking these operations difficult, as hidden servers and disappearing websites make it hard for authorities to locate the criminals or shut down these marketplaces quickly.
Despite the allure of anonymity and the potential for illicit gain, attempting to access the dark web without professional expertise is highly dangerous and likely to lead to legal consequences. The transcript emphasizes that while the technology allows users to hide their location, the network is not untouchable, and law enforcement agencies are increasingly capable of tracing illegal activities within it. For ordinary internet users, the safest approach is simply to avoid entering this hidden layer altogether, as the risks of encountering fraud, malware, or severe criminal content far outweigh any perceived benefits. Ultimately, staying on the open web protects individuals from the complex and dangerous systems designed specifically to evade detection and facilitate crime.
Read the full video transcript
Millions of people use it every day, but
few of us ever see what lies behind it.
The tour network is the gateway to a
hidden part of the internet known as the
dark web. But what exactly is hiding
there?
>> So the dark dark web is a part of three
layers of the internet. The first layer
is the open web, the clear web that we
already knows. This is the place that we
are going to a regular website like I24.
Then we have the deep web. The deep web
is the place that we can go to our bank
account. You need your password and your
username in order to go inside. And the
last layer is the dark web. The dark web
is the most dangerous place to be in.
And the way to go inside is only with a
special browser. It's called a tour.
It's like onion because the uh the dark
web is built by layers. So you can
actually download the browser from any
uh search in the internet but in order
to get into the dark web you need to
know exactly how to do it. So there is
no uh like a Google search you need to
know exactly uh the the address that you
know that you need to go inside and it
will always be onion in the end.
Criminals share these addresses with
each other through encrypted messaging
platforms like Telegram. And people who
know their way around the dark web know
where to start looking. But the dark web
wasn't created for criminals. This
technology was actually created in the
1980s by the US Army for secure and
discrete communication between army
bases. Today, however, it has become a
marketplace for stolen information and
illegal services from passports and
drivers licenses to credit cards,
personal data, and even information that
can be used to manipulate financial
markets. But
>> you need to understand that it's not a
guarantee that you will get it because
you are dealing with fraudster here. So
you can pay money to buy a credit card
that has $1,000 inside and the moment
you will try to use it either somebody
will cut you or there is no money
inside. So it's not guarantee. Although
the criminals and this is funny has
actually ranking over there who is the
most [laughter] the most one that will
send you something who is doing a good
job. So it's it's it's it's a mix
between criminals and ranking inside the
dark web.
>> So show me what the dark web actually
looks like.
>> Yes, let's do it. Let's let's go inside.
Let's say that we want to hire as we
talked about to hire some services. So
as you can see here, destroying someone
life. So, I will pay uh $1,700
and they can put porn in my computer for
children. So, you have actually a menu
of whatever the fraudster can do for
you. This is a real website into the
dark web that you can actually buy
stolen nude pictures or or film from.
You can see the name Selena Gomez.
>> These are actually real images of these
celebrities. This is real images of look
everything is fake those days but yes
this is real images of those uh
>> it's not I I generated slob images
into their phone for Jennifer Lawrence
for instance they hacked into their
phone and then saw nude images
>> and and if the the fer will rank five
star you know that this is a real
picture otherwise you will never buy it
again from the same one
>> but stolen celebrity images are only
part of what can be found on the dark
web The worst thing that you can find in
the dark web will be what we call the
red rooms over there. You can actually
pay to see a rape. So they will grab an
homeless from the street, a girl, and
they will put it in a room that what
they call the red room. And people can
pay money in order to see live the rape
or even pay a lot of money to to give
orders what exactly to do to her. And
look at that. pay $49 in Bitcoin to
watch
>> and it's very easy. You just scan this
code, you pay the amount of money, and
then you get access to this red room
where this girl is being raped.
>> Exactly. But it's really, really hard to
go to that kind of room.
>> Behind the anonymity is a complex system
designed to make users difficult to
trace. Criminal marketplaces can operate
through hidden servers, while tour
routes connections through multiple
layers to conceal a user's location. The
sites also disappear within minutes or
hours, making them even harder to track.
>> I not recommend anyone to try to uh
download torrent to try to go inside.
Then maybe they will able to do that,
but they will catch them in a minute.
You need to be very professional in
order to do uh or to surf inside that
nobody will be able to find you.
>> The dark web may be hidden, but it isn't
untouchable. And for ordinary users, the
safest way to stay out of trouble may
simply be to stay out of the dark.