Dickens, the Dark Web, and IDG 2016
January 12, 2016
I read “The Dark Web & Business Report: A Seedy Dickensian Underworld Online.” It appears that this is a distillation of a longer and probably not free document from the mavens at IDG.
I noted this passage:
In reality, the dark web is a set of services, accessed via special gateways or software configurations that leverage encryption technology to make access or communication anonymous to a greater or lesser extent.
This is a statement from one of the employees / executives at one of the 31 companies interviewed for the report.
The full write up is a helpful summary for a person who wants to gave the chestnuts about the “hidden” Internet roasted with literary chestnuts.
What made the write up less than appetizing was the string of references to Charles Dickens. I am not sure that the Dickensian underworld was a reality, but it was a wonderful literary convention and helped sell books.
Is the inspiration for IDG anchored in reality or a Dickensian fiction? I thought of American Notes and this statement offered by Mr. Dickens:
“All that is loathsome, drooping, or decayed is here.”
No problem. Charlie ran into some money difficulties when reality collided with his made up world. Consulting firms, particularly the mid tier variety, face an interesting challenge in 2016. My appetite for Dark Web information is unsated.
Stephen E Arnold, January 12, 2016
Comments
-
- Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive
-
