Efforts for Combating Crime on the Dark Web

Some people claim that the Dark Web supports fundamental rights including free speech, privacy, and anonymity. On the other hand, governmental organizations and prosecutors worry that it is a sanctuary for severe illicit activity. Policing this part of the internet entails focusing on particular web behaviors that are regarded as illicit or subject to internet censorship. Police normally utilize the suspect’s Internet Protocol (IP) address when looking into internet suspects, but since Dark Web technologies create anonymity, this becomes extremely difficult. As a result, law enforcement has used a variety of alternative strategies to track down and detain those using the Dark Web for illicit purposes. Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) is a method of data gathering and is used to legally collect data from public sources. Officers can use Dark Web-specific OSINT technologies to locate titbits of knowledge that will help them learn more...

Law enforcement techniques

It was revealed in 2015 that Interpol provides a special Dark Web training course with technical details on TOR, cybersecurity, and practice darknet market takedowns. The UK’s National Crime Agency and GCHQ announced the establishment of a joint operations cell to concentrate on cybercrime in October 2013. This squad was given the responsibility of combating child exploitation on the Dark Web as well as other cybercrimes in November 2015. Researchers, law enforcement, and policymakers are becoming increasingly interested in the Dark Web since it is characterized by the unknown, according to a comprehensive analysis of it published by the Congressional Research Service in March 2017. Reports in August 2017 claimed that where possible and required, cybersecurity companies that monitor and study the Dark Web on behalf of banks and retailers often communicate their findings with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies on illicit content.

The anonymity...

Tools for combating crime on the Dark Web

Access to the Dark Web is necessary for law enforcement organizations to track criminals’ digital traces and learn more about their networks, transactions, and accomplices. However, Dark Web scanning to gather and evaluate massive data from Dark Web markets, forums, blogs, online message boards, and social media is time-consuming and difficult. Therefore, in order to detect and discover connections between offenders and different identities, investigators and analysts need OSINT technologies for Dark Web scanning. For useful insights, the outcomes of the examined OSINT data sources must be displayed in graphs and maps. To put it another way, a top-notch Dark Web scanning service is required.

In order to solve and prevent crimes such as cyber threats, investigators and analysts use Dark Web monitoring technologies to identify threat actors, track the Bitcoin money trail, and map links between threat actors, their affiliates, and group...

Recommendations

Undercover web investigations are one tactic that law enforcement agencies all over the world frequently use. Enforcement officers have used investigation chat rooms and other peer-to-peer (P2P) networks to pose as criminals or participants in illegal activity during such investigations. The following are some recommendations that will help to mitigate crime on the Dark Web:

• Crime identification: Line officers need to become educated on the sorts and extent of illegal activity taking place on the Dark Web. A good initiative is new state task teams that may share information on the Dark Web among organizations and jurisdictions.
• Privacy protection: The need for advice from federal partners on how to handle privacy concerns during investigations. There is a need for research to determine how much privacy people would be willing to give up in exchange for security.
• Suspect identifications: Officers responding to criminal activity need to learn to identify...

General needs and challenges

Even while it may appear that the Dark Web is untraceable, there is some chance of uncovering criminals using it. In other words, no crime is perfect, and criminals frequently make mistakes or leave unintentional clues:

• Rapid changes in the volume of use: Although there is evidence of a constant increase in Dark Web activity, law enforcement lacks the quantitative information necessary to respond to these activities effectively.
• Globalization: Activity on the Dark Web transcends regional, governmental, and international barriers. Because the Dark Web spans jurisdictions, it is crucial that investigators from different agencies work together. Participants warned that Dark Web operators would be emboldened by the lack of enforcement to conduct more unlawful activities via the Dark Web if agencies shun the Dark Web due to its cross-jurisdictional character.
• The need to demystify the Dark Web: Some law enforcement participants expressed worry...

Summary

Investigators can explore the Dark Web using advanced systems by gathering, examining, and keeping track of data in a tactical timeframe. The internet surveillance software and Dark Web monitoring instruments on this cutting-edge web intelligence platform are intended to speed up web investigation procedures. The powerful web engine analyzes gathered data using sophisticated AI algorithms and provides in-depth insights in real time. A cybercrime inquiry can also be started by investigators using any minor piece of digital forensics data, such as a suspect’s identity, location, IP address, or image, thanks to Dark Web monitoring services. Law enforcement and governmental agencies will be able to scour and monitor the Dark Web with sophisticated technologies in order to gather and analyze pertinent big data that will provide streamlined, automated insights for prompt action. The next chapter discusses the proposal of a system to combat crime on the Dark Web more effectively...