The previous head of the UK GCHQ, for example, has likened the Dark Net to the Wild West, claiming that it needs to be controlled (Omand 2016). This negative perception of the Darknet is also taken by governments and ordinary citizens at large, which may drive unnecessary moral panics and misguided policies (Murray 2014). Two example newspapers headlines are ‘Dark Net may pose ‘disruptive risk’ to internet sector’ (Samson 2017) and ‘Dark web browser Tor is overwhelmingly used for crime, says study’ (McGoogan 2016). Many news media outlets highlight that the Darknet and its Tor browser are overwhelmingly used for criminal activities (Chandran 2015 Farrell 2017 McGoogan 2016 Moloney 2016 Samson 2017 Weissman 2015). In general, the Darknet tends to be portrayed by various news media as an environment wherein criminal activities flourish naturally, even to the extent of being criminogenic.

To some, the hidden networks in the Internet are a means to achieve freedom while to others these networks are no more than new outlets to express their criminogenic desires. The Darknet has become, in the last few years, one of the most discussed topics in cyber security circles.

Tor dark web links 2015