#INTERNET ICEBERG ENCRYPTION ANDROID#

#INTERNET ICEBERG ENCRYPTION ANDROID#

Tor (originally short for “The Onion Router”) works like a normal web browser and even has a mobile browser available on Android devices. The platforms most likely to benefit libraries in protecting patron privacy are those that are built like web browsers and can be used to access the surface internet as well as dark websites. Because of this, there are a number of tools for accessing the dark web and most are highly specialized. Unlike the surface internet, many dark web sites are not interlinked, and web addresses can often change. But, “the systems were not designed for this purpose,” Lund said, and “we think the platforms shouldn’t be overlooked because of these things.” Beckstrom and Lund both believe it’s important to acknowledge that illegal activities happen on the dark web. “Dark automatically gives the impression that it’s evil, that something’s wrong.” The dark web’s reputation is often connected to criminal black markets like Silk Road, a dark website for drugs and arms dealing that was first shut down in 2013 and again in 2014. “The dark web really should be called something more like the hidden web,” said Beckstrom. This distinction is not often clear: “One publisher asked if our book is going to help people hack into other people’s databases,” Lund said. The dark web is a subset of the deep web but, unlike most of the deep web, requires specialized tools to access. It includes anything behind a paywall or other authentication, as well as internal networks like corporate intranets. “That feels like a very large part of the internet, but in reality, at least 80% or 90% of the internet is part of the deep web.” Deep web content isn’t indexed by search engines. The surface web includes popular websites including news sites, Facebook, and ecommerce. You can think of the internet like an iceberg: “Everything above the water is called the surface web,” said Beckstrom. People are turning to dark web tools to protect their anonymity, and libraries have an opportunity to help users learn about and access these tools.Īt “Casting light on the Dark Web: Dispelling myths and using it to preserve your anonymity” on June 23 at the ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition in Washington, D.C., Beckstrom and Brady Lund, PhD student at Emporia (Kans.) University School of Library and Information Management, explained the basics of the dark web and how libraries can use it. With the end of net neutrality and increased awareness of data collection by companies like Facebook, internet users are more engaged with online privacy issues than ever. “We need to look at the internet from the point of view of privacy and security,” said Matt Beckstrom, systems librarian at Lewis and Clark Library in Helena, Montana. Matt Beckstrom, systems librarian at Lewis and Clark Library, and Brady Lund, PhD student at Emporia State University, introduce conference attendees to the dark web.

Internet iceberg encryption