I Started Surfing the Dark Web – Then I Saw a Cannibal’s Request | Tech News

Shadow figures. Buying drugs. Hiring a hitman. When many of us think of the dark web, these are just some of the illicit images that come to mind.

And for 30 years I have known firsthand how dark the Internet can be.

In 1993, while researching a novel, I became involved with an internet start-up company, one of the first in the UK.

Within a week we had over 500 customers and we were all very excited until we heard from Birmingham Police that one of our customers had been arrested after using our services to access child pornography.

Then I realized that this new, fascinating information superhighway had a rather dark side.

Today, much of the disgusting activity we heard about in 1993 is happening on the so-called dark web. This is beneath the surface of the web as we know it and is inaccessible to regular web browsers like Firefox.

To surf the dark web, you need a special browser that can access content that is deliberately hidden from conventional search engines and forms of internet navigation.

To gain access, you need to download free software. This software effectively hides the locations of both users and websites that are hidden beneath the surface of the Internet.

This is extremely useful for people who are involved in illegal activities.

And so, in preparation for my latest detective story about Roy Grace, I decided to investigate the phenomenon and create a villain who knows his way around this creepy world.

I am fortunate to have a close working relationship with Sussex Police, they have really helped me to capture a raw, accurate portrayal of a lot of criminal activity.

Their Digital Forensic Team immediately advised me to be very careful. If I were to surf the dark web without help, I could quickly end up in some very dark places.

They warned me that any downloaded file could contain malware and that I was at risk of scammers, phishers, blackmail and even prosecution if I inadvertently went down the more sinister, illegal paths.

They also warned me that even if I did not commit a crime, I could inadvertently leave a digital trail, such as personal or banking information, which could be misused in various ways by the many criminals hiding there.

The police suggested that I come in and explore this dangerous room on one of their secure computers, while one of them held my hand.

When I did, I was amazed at how user-friendly the interfaces were. It worked just like a regular browser and I remember thinking that even a moderately computer literate grandma could easily use it.

Once you access the special browser, which is not illegal, your screen will look like that of a normal search engine, even though the results, as we all know, are secret, often disturbing and sometimes even illegal.

From there you will be redirected to directories of links, divided into different categories. There are some web chat forums, but most of the illegal content is located in one of the many different online markets.

These sites work exactly the same as sites like Amazon or eBay: buyers and sellers can even leave reviews.

As I scrolled through, I saw mostly what I expected based on the books I’d read and the movies I’d seen: endless pages of anonymous users hiding behind fake names, strange marketplaces for every conceivable vice, and hacked data.

But what surprised me most was the sheer amount of dubious to downright malicious services you could buy or use.

Stolen artwork. 3D printed weapons. Drugs. Sadomasochistic sex and sinister sex clubs offering torture.

The most shocking thing was that within five minutes of entering the dark web, I saw a post on a forum from someone asking about cannibalism. He even asked if there was anyone willing to be killed by him.

I felt it deep in my stomach and was utterly disgusted by what I saw.

I couldn’t understand the mind of the person who would post this, or the type of person who would respond.

At first I thought it was a joke, but my police colleagues said it was unfortunately all too true.

Frustratingly for the police, despite knowing that these types of requests are legitimate, there is little they can do. They have limited powers on the internet as it is and many of the criminals operating on the dark web are either overseas, anonymous, protected by encryption and false identities or impenetrable firewalls making them impossible to trace, find or bring to justice.

These networks are difficult to destroy, but not impossible. For example, the notorious online drug marketplace “Silk Road” was shut down by the FBI in 2013 and its leader was sentenced to life in prison.

As a normal internet user, it is frightening to think about this dark corner of the online world that is hidden from most of us. It hides all kinds of cruelties behind this veneer of internet anonymity.

I know that the dark web is not limited to illegal activities and can be a safe place for activists, whistleblowers and journalists to communicate. But without proper knowledge and preparation, it is not a place to venture into lightly.

In the brief encounters I’ve had since researching the villain for my book, I’ve been led through a series of different sites and chat rooms, with each click revealing a different dark side of the human mind.

Sussex Police showed me the black market sites they were monitoring, where users were selling every kind of drug and weapon imaginable.

Transactions like these can (and I’m pretty sure they already have) have devastating real-world consequences.

One thing is for sure: I thought I knew everything about the darkness of the Internet, but it turns out I had only scratched the surface.

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