You’ve heard all the rumors - illegal weapons,
illicit drugs, even hitmen for hire!
We’re sure you’re not in the market for
anything unsavory or illegal, but you might
be tempted to see for yourself if any of these
Darb Web urban legends are true.
We definitely don’t recommend that you visit
the Dark Web - we don’t want that on our
conscience!
Instead, this video will save you a potentially
dangerous trip into the Dark Web and answer
your most burning questions about the craziest
things sold on the Dark Web.
First of all, what is the Dark Web, anyways?
The best way to understand the Dark Web is
to think of it like an iceberg.
The “ClearNet” - the part of the internet
that most of us are familiar with - is like
the tip of the iceberg sticking out above
the water.
It’s the visible part of the internet that
can be easily accessed through search engines
like Google, but it only accounts for about
10% of the whole internet.
The “Deep Web” is like the rest of the
iceberg, it’s hidden underwater, but it
makes up the bulk of the whole internet.
The Deep Web contains over 90% of the information
on the internet.
People tend to fear what they don’t understand,
but the majority of the Deep Web is pretty
harmless, and it actually might even be helpful.
Back in the 1970s, when the internet was just
getting started, the terms “dark web”
and “deep web” weren’t ominous - they
simply referred to the parts of the internet
that weren’t connected to the mainstream
“internet” and weren’t indexed for search
engines.
Because it’s unindexed, it’s incredibly
hard to navigate this information without
the help of Google.
Some Deep Web search engines, like Candle,
do exist, but without indexing, it’s incredibly
hard to sort through the massive amount of
information on the Deep Web.
So, how can the Deep Web be good?
Well, those of us lucky enough to have unrestricted
internet access may take it for granted, but
that free access is not a given everywhere
in the world.
In countries where internet access is restricted,
the Deep Web is essential for connecting people
to others within their country, and with the
outside world.
Even those of us with unrestricted internet
access may prefer the privacy and anonymity
of the Deep Web.
The Deep Web provides access to secure email
services, like ProtonMail, and has “mirror”
social media and news sites like Facebook
and the New York Times.
The Deep Web news outlet ProPublica was actually
the first online news site to win a coveted
Pulitzer prize.
There’s a Dark Web version of Reddit, called
HiddenAnswers, and even places for journalists
and whistleblowers to upload documents and
sensitive info.
All of these sites allow people in more restrictive
countries to communicate freely within and
outside of their country.
In fact, communication through the Deep Web
was instrumental in the Arab Spring uprising
of 2010.
In the age of Big Data, even those with unrestricted
internet access and nothing to hide may prefer
not to have their every online move monitored,
and the Deep Web offers a convenient place
to browse in privacy and connect with a community
of like-minded individuals.
A lot of the activity on the Deep Web is pretty
mundane.
It ranges from the downright boring, like
JustChess, a site where you can just play
chess with other users; to the mildly naughty,
like pirating movies on Pirate Bay; to the
straight-up weird, like Kittenz, a site exclusively
dedicated to cute cat pictures.
For some reason, the Deep Web seems to have
a thing for cats...
For all its benefits, the Deep Net definitely
has a seedy underbelly.
This is the part of the Deep Web that we call
the Dark Web.
It makes up only about 6% of the total internet,
and it is home to all sorts of dangerous,
illegal and just plain strange things.
Accessing any part of the Deep Web is far
from simple - you need special browsers and
location masking software to access “onions”,
or highly specific URLs.
Privacy and anonymity are core values of the
Deep Web, and this is especially true in the
seedier Dark Web.
Some of the more sketchy Dark Web sites may
even have their own vetting processes, where
you may be required to perform a potentially
illegal or immoral act to prove that you’re
a serious customer and not just a nosy researcher
or even a law enforcement official.
It’s important to remember that there’s
no oversight on the Dark Web, which means
that there’s nowhere to turn if you’re
the victim of a scam or a malware attack.
There’s also the risk that you could become
involved in a law enforcement sting.
One of the most prolific Dark Web myths is
that you can hire a hitman to take out your
enemies, but in reality, all of these hitman-for-hire
sites have turned out to be scams - either
the hitman turns out to be a fake and just
pockets your money, or the hitman is actually
a law enforcement officer in disguise.
The Dark Web is home to countless marketplaces
peddling everything from stolen goods to designer
knock-offs.
Due to pressure from law enforcement and a
culture of secrecy, these marketplaces are
constantly popping up, moving and disappearing.
The Silk Road was one of the first Dark Web
marketplaces, and it was estimated to have
earned more than a billion dollars in revenue,
mostly from the sale of drugs, before it was
shut down by the FBI in 2014.
In 2019 the Dream Market, another major player
in the Dark Web drug trade, gave its users
thirty days notice that it would be closing,
leading many to assume that the site had been
taken over by law enforcement and was being
run as a honey-pot operation.
Now that you know the basics of the Dark Web
- and you’ve been duly warned about it’s
dangers and risks - without further ado, let’s
take a look at some of the craziest things
that are sold on the Dark Web.
Cryptocurrency Services: Bitcoin is the unofficial
currency of the Dark Web.
Since Dark Web users are all about privacy
and untraceability, cryptocurrency is the
perfect currency for the types of transactions
that happen on the Dark Web, especially the
illegal ones!
The Deep Web is full of services for buying,
selling and storing Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency,
but the Dark Web takes it a step further.
You can find services that will “clean”
or launder your Bitcoin, adding another layer
of untraceability to your transaction.
There are even illegal Bitcoin lotteries and
Dark Web casinos, where you can win real Bitcoin
payouts and skip the taxes usually applied
to lottery winnings.
Fake Documents: Probably one of the more tame
things you can find on the Dark Web is a plethora
of fake documents.
You can get fake IDs, fake birth certificates
and of course fake passports.
There is even a site that purports to sell
valid American citizenships!
But perhaps the weirdest fake document you
can get on the Dark Web?
Fake college degrees.
We guess that’s one way to pad your resume...
Illegal Weapons: Weapons, especially guns,
are one of the most popular items sold on
the Dark Web.
Although guns are easy to get in many countries,
like America, that’s definitely not the
case elsewhere in the world.
Plus, you may not want your gun registered,
so the Dark Web offers an additional layer
of anonymity.
And guns are just the beginning - you can
buy all kinds of weapons, like explosives
and even uranium!
Illicit Drugs: Another mainstay of the Dark
Web, there is a thriving market for drugs
of all kinds.
The Dark Web’s drug market has come a long
way from being just a sneaky way to buy weed
- now that Marijuana is becoming legal in
many places, people are turning to the Dark
Web for heavier stuff.
Not only can you find all kinds of street
drugs, like cocaine and heroin, but there’s
now a huge market for fake pharmaceuticals.
For years, a small operation in the UK was
able to use Dark Web marketplaces to elude
law enforcement as they peddled an estimated
one-and-a-half-million fake Xanax pills to
British customers, creating an addiction crisis
in the process.
The Dark Web even has its own brand of discount
Viagra, called Kamagra, with its own dedicated
marketplace.
I guess some people are desperate to avoid
those embarrassing doctor’s visits!
Hacked Data: We are constantly hearing stories
about companies’ data being hacked, but
we rarely hear about what happens to all that
stolen data.
Most of it actually ends up for sale on the
Dark Web.
For a few dollars you can get a package of
hundreds of credit card and social security
numbers - most of them will have been cancelled
or protected by then, but if you’re lucky
you might just find a few to use in your nefarious
endeavors.
You can even find services on the Dark Web
that will help you use this new data, like,
for example, by helping you get a fake loan
under an assumed identity.
Hacker Tools: For those DIY-ers out there,
the Dark Web is the place to learn how to
become a world-class hacker.
With step-by-step guides, ready-made malware
and viruses, and physical tools like credit
card scanners and ATM skimmers, the Dark Web
is a hacker’s one-stop stop.
Hackers for Hire: If you don’t consider
yourself to be tech-savvy enough to do your
own hacking, never fear - you can find hackers
for hire on the Dark Web.
Markets like Digital Gangster connect you
with “legitimate” hackers who can help
you with everything from retrieving passwords
to hacking into another person’s computer.
While tempting, this seems pretty risky to
us - after all, who’s to say the hackers
won’t turn on you?
Knock-Offs & Fake Products: No black market
would be complete without a thriving trade
in designer knock-offs.
Of course you can find the standard fake Rolexes
and knock-off Chanel purses, but the Dark
Web has much more to offer.
You can find sites dedicated to the sale of
gold and diamonds, and custom 3D printing
is becoming hugely popular.
One of the most-printed products?
Gun parts.
Not surprisingly, technology is a huge seller
on the Dark Web.
Where else can you get so-called genuine Apple
products at deeply discounted prices?
That’s right - the Dark Web.
Fake Accounts: Some of the most popular fakes
found on the Dark Web are fake user accounts
for popular services.
You can find lifetime Netflix accounts that
will never expire or score free rides using
hacked Uber accounts.
This is definitely one of the weirdest kinds
of fakes we found on the Dark Web, and it
had us wondering - why bother?
Twitter Followers: In the age of social media
everyone is competing for likes, and it can
sometimes seem like people will do anything
to get more followers.
Yet again, the Dark Web comes to your rescue
- you can actually buy Twitter followers,
or more accurately, bots, to inflate your
social media stats.
If nothing you’ve heard so far seems that
crazy to you, just wait until you hear about
this one: apparently, you can also buy souls
on the Dark Web!
In some cultures, it’s believed that spirits
can be trapped at the moment of death and
harnessed to perform powerful rituals.
The Dark Web has brought this trade into the
21st century, making it easier than ever to
purchase the soul of a recently departed person
… for a hefty sum, of course.
And who can forget the Dark Web Mystery Boxes?
This viral Dark Web trend was based on a long-standing
practice that started on eBay.
But unlike the eBay boxes, which contained
harmless items like tech gear and clothing,
the Mystery Boxes from the Dark Web contained
random, and terrifying objects, like children’s
clothes, evil objects, and even items with
what looked like blood on them.
People fear what they don’t understand.
Most of the Deep Web is harmless, and actually
an important tool for free speech.
But the Dark Web is the seedy underbelly of
the Deep Web, and if you can think of it,
someone is probably selling it on the Dark
Web, including some illegal, immoral and just
plain crazy things.
So, what do you think is the craziest thing
sold on the Dark Web?
Would you ever visit the dark web?
Be sure to let us know your thoughts on the
craziest things sold on the Dark Web in the
comments!
If you’re still curious about the Dark Web,
be sure to check out this crazy video, called
Bizarre Things That Happen on the Dark Web.
Trust us, watching is safer than visiting
the Dark Web yourself!
Or perhaps you’d prefer this other video
instead?
Either way, click one now!
