What the F*ck is The Dark Web?

by Kit Eaton

What the f*ck is the Dark Web, and how does it even work?Whether it's from dodgy acronym-titled crime shows to news stories designed to terrify you down to your socks we've all heard about sites like Silk Road and the ways criminals use cryptocurrency online. But did you know that among the various shady corners of the dark web you can also find portals to the BBC and Facebook?The thing is even the way the everyday internet works is a mystery to us and its darkest corners are, of course, more deeply shrouded. So, let's go on a journey from the birth of the Net through the strangest dark services - need a hitman to bump off your superfluous...er...beloved spouse? - to the surprisingly positive uses of dark technology, including dodging the watchful eye of oppressive censors.Over half of us can't remember a time before the internet - and for the rest it's increasingly difficult to imagine life without the damn thing! It's about time we understood more about it and we can start with the What The Fuck is The Dark Web?

116 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 29, 2021

Reviews

[Lukáš Zorád · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny written brief guide to understanding dark web. Bit of terminology explained in a really nice way. Easy reading on dark topic, that is not so dark after all.

[Emma Marcišová · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am writing this for my essay paper, so I might as well leave it as a review here because there is no review of this book on the net, at least not on the surface one, haha.

Positive: He starts from the very basics and teaches us both about the history and how the internet works in general. He doesn't only explain what The Deep Web is, but also about the other tiers of the web and what are their similarities and differences. He keeps the whole book simple, not overcomplicating it and still explains everything important with fictional scenarios or recapitulations.

Negative: I cannot think of much, but in the end, the author says why it isn't good to visit it as a normal person, and it does not sound very persuading. I had read a lot more about the Dark Web and there are way worse things that may happen to the user than he had listed (getting hacked).

[Sian D · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this book with zero understanding of the dark web (just a very small understanding of networks), and found Eaton's explanations easy to understand.

Eaton's casual, jokey writing style definitely won't be for everyone, and I found it a bit strange at first. I ended up really liking it, and finding his asides pretty funny. I'll read more of their books.

I learned about the differences between surface, deep, and dark web, TCP/IP, onioning, TOR, VPNs, and the positive and more negative reasons people and governments around the world may use the dark web for legal and illegal activities. It also made me think about the sharing and collection of personal data for advertising by major companies.

For this book to be five stars, I would have liked Eaton to suggest some further reading.

A very good beginner book on the dark web!