The Dark Net summary

You’ve probably never been face-to-face with someone who would say something racist and insulting like, “The world is a mess because black people are taking over.” But people are a lot less shy about voicing these kinds of views online.

As a result, various social media platforms offer a suitably discreet outlet for political extremists. In fact, websites and social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have become the preferred meeting place for people with ideologies that aren’t accepted by mainstream culture.

Can you imagine how embarrassing it would be to receive a message saying your computer will be confiscated by Interpol because you watched illegal online pornography?

Well, it’s actually not uncommon for people to get messages like these. Although they’re usually just caused by viruses or malware, they do point to a major problem: links on the internet easily guide people from naughty but legal porn to illegal content.

Everyone knows at least one or two people who struggled with serious depression. Even so, very few people are willing to actually listen to the dark thoughts and emotional struggles of others.

So, where do these people go to openly discuss their problems?

Skulking figures exchanging illicit drugs in dark alleys is a common image when people think of the drug trade. While these kinds of transactions certainly take place around the world, drug deals can happen in a much simpler way in the information age – without either of the two parties leaving the comfort of their own homes.

That’s right, the internet even provides hidden spaces for dealing drugs. One such place was called Silk Road, a website that began spreading through the underground internet community in 2011. This encrypted site was a marketplace from which you could purchase any number of illegal goods.

How would you describe a porn star?

In the past, the answer to this question would have revolved around fake breasts, botoxed lips, platinum blonde hair and a spray-on tan. But nowadays, a popular pornstar might not look any different than the person sitting next to you on the train.

Nerds, geeks and otherwise socially ostracized people are encouraged by the biblical promise that the meek will inherit the world – but perhaps this has already come to pass.

After all, the nerds of the twenty-first century are cypherpunks, advocates of computer code as a means of social change, who are determined to build an alternative economy. This work began in the 90s, when a computer cryptographer and cypherpunk named David Chaum tried to set up a company to produce a digital currency that he called DigiCash.