[Cryptography] Dark Web should really be called the Twilight Web

Phillip Hallam-Baker phill at hallambaker.com
Wed May 27 23:08:55 EDT 2015


Tor certainly works for some of its intended uses. If you are in a
repressive state and want to get access to CNN or the like, Tor is your
friend. It isn't going to prevent a police state noticing that you might be
up to some sort of unapproved activity but they won't be able to tell the
difference between a dissident and someone surfing for porn etc. So it is
useful and reduces risk in countries like Iran or Russia. But using it in
North Korea would mean risking a death sentence.

Where I don't see Tor being remotely safe is trying to operate an online
Drug bazar as a hidden service. I mean seriously guys, cryptography isn't
magic and traffic analysis is a very effective tool. Tor is still going to
help your customers keep their identity secret but it isn't going to stop a
determined law enforcement team with pervasive Internet access tracking
down your server. Not when the hidden service is trying to become a
consumer brand with global reach.

So I think a change in terminology is needed. It is not just that people
are not taking security precautions due to a false sense of security, some
people are ordering up mob hits because they think they are in a permissive
environment that is accountability free.

Rather than calling it the dark web, the term Twilight Web seems more
appropriate to me. It is possible to hide but only if you know how and only
among the trees.
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