Combatting Crime on the Dark Web: How Law Enforcement and Prosecutors are Using Cutting-Edge Technology to Fight Cyber Crime

Author(s): Bradley Altvater, PCE

Criminals are increasingly using shadowy corners of the internet to mask their identities and conduct illicit activities. Marketplaces on the “dark web” facilitate a range of criminal activities, including human trafficking and the distribution of child pornography. However, law enforcement and prosecutors are not helpless in the fight against these new criminal tactics.

This paper focuses on two ways that law enforcement and prosecutors have utilized technology to find and prosecute criminals on the dark web. Part 1 of this article explains this new terrain of criminal activity by exploring the differences between the surface web, deep web, and dark web.