Hidden Webs May Be a Content Escape Hatch
March 28, 2018
Beyond Search and the Dark Cyber research team discussed a topic which raised some concern among the team. Censorship may be nudging some individuals to the hidden Webs; for example, the Dark Web, i2p, ZeroWeb, etc.
In the wake of several US school shootings, the outcry of more control over gun sales has grown louder. Many organizations have begun to distance themselves from firearms related topics, like YouTube who removed all of their firearms content recently. The response has created a strange subculture, as we discovered in this recent NPR story, “Restricted by YouTube, Gun Enthusiasts are Taking Their Videos to Pornhub.”
According to the story:
“InRangeTV, which has some 144,000 subscribers on its YouTube channel, has chosen to publish videos on an adult website called Pornhub…InRangeTV also recently wrote on Facebook that it is defending “Why are we seeing continuing restrictions and challenges towards content about something demonstrably legal yet not against that which is clearly illegal?” It then posted links to YouTube videos on synthesizing meth and other illicit acts.”
This is an odd place for a freedom of speech battle to take place, but not completely. It seems right in line with something Larry Flynt would have perused. Conversely, as far right leaning content is going closer and closer toward the dark web (pornography is not the dark web, but it feels like that’s the direction this is heading) the dark web is beginning to try to take down YouTube with rightwing trolling at an extreme level. What all this means for average citizens is that search is going to get more complicated, no matter what you are hunting for.
We also noted that a site dedicated to off color content has become the new home for those who are interested in weaponry. We think the shift may be gaining momentum. How does one “find” these types of content? Perhaps encrypted chat or old fashioned word of mouth messaging. Worth watching this possible shift.
Patrick Roland, March 28, 2018
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