The Dark Web And Criminal Law + The Impact Of The Dark Web On Law Enforcement.
The private browser mode on your mobile: upgraded tenfold.
In this new digital age, things are getting darker – or, ‘going dark’, as commonly phrased. Enter, the Dark Web. A name quite fitting for what it entails – a widespread web full of dark criminal activities, illicit drugs and child exploitation. And to our misfortune, it’s only getting deeper. Alright then… who turned off the lights?
The Dark Web has grown exponentially over the last 10 years. The Australian law and the ACIC are seeing firsthand the noticeable impacts it’s made in law enforcement, with online drug offences taking the lead as a commonly convicted Cybercrime case. And unfortunately, COVID-19 has done nothing but further exaggerate this spike in Cybercrime.
It’s this undeniable growth that has granted an eery beckoning for a new age… one where the Australian legal system goes head first into ‘the online war on drugs’.
What will come of criminal convictions as criminal activity becomes harder to trace?
Delving Deeper: Uncovering the dark web
For most of the general population that hath not (and dare not) step ‘foot’ into the Dark Web – there may be a bit of underlying confusion. What is the dark web? What is it used for?
The ‘dark web’, or ‘darknet’, is another form of internet browser entirely. No Google Chrome, no Safari, no Microsoft Edge and no Mozilla Firefox. When it comes to the Dark Web or Deep Web, forget everything you know about traditional Googling.
Picture an iceberg diagram. The tip of the iceberg is the reliable, trustworthy and only somewhat intimidating internet most of us know and live by. Below the surface is the deep web. Within the deep web is the Dark Web, where all the crime, dark acts and illegal activity lies.
A range of illicit activities take place in the dark web – namely the exchange of child exploitation material and illicit drugs.
Accessing the Deep Web is no easy feat. In fact, it is only attainable through special software and additional networking protocols.
Drug Offences on The Darknet
What if there was an eBay-like platform for selling and buying illicit substances? In many ways, this is how the dealing of drugs, guns, and stolen credit cards is handled on the Dark Web, on a platform called the Silk Road. Of course, the differences are extreme.
A main cause for a re-evaluation in Australian law enforcement is due to the inability to ‘crack down’ on the online drug world, as criminal activity on the Dark Web is nearly undetectable.
As technology advances rapidly, so must the Australian law enforcement. And even proceeding the seizure of the Silk Road, soon yet another criminal trading platform commenced, coined ‘the Silk Road 2.0’. With constant rectification of criminal activity in the darknet, adaptability is crucial.
The Legal Ramifications
Any person who is apprehended with a trafficable or commercial quantity of illicit drugs are determined to have had the intention of selling or supplying those drugs to others, even if that is not the case. These provisions are stable under all Australian Jurisdictions.
If quantity of drugs exceeds a certain amount, drug trafficking may be declared. These trafficking incidents are dealt with in a higher court where consequences can result in up to 25 years imprisonment and have serious lifelong ramifications.
There’s no easy way to navigate the dark web world. Yet as technology develops, law enforcement adapts. Criminal acts committed on the dark web can be uncovered.
Caught unaware?
If you require legal assistance and professional representation please contact our team of Criminal Lawyers at Creevey Russell Lawyers on 1800-CRIME-LAW today.