Well, speak about galvauded term : the DARKnet ...
Many think about crimes, bad guys and stolen fortunes when they hear about the DARKnet, but is it as dark as its name tells?
NOT EXCATLY
DARKnet, in fact, existed before the Internet.
Indeed, but to understand that, we need to know what people call the Internet ( you will see in future and previous posts that I put an S to it and this will explain why) : Most of you think Internet is the network of all servers you can find on google and other search engines... But it's more than that...
To be part of the Internet, people need to have a domain name, you can hire such at big registrators companies, they will then link your IP address to a more human friendly name like : mywebsite.com. Whithout a domain name, unless you make big SEO (Search Engines Optimization) efforts, you won't be part of the search engines results.
But, to be honest, that does not mean you are not part of the Internets ...
Some people do not want to hire a domain name.
To have a domain name, you first need a fixed IP adress, unless you use DDNS services ( Dynamic Domain Name Service) which will link a name to your IP address and will update it when your prodiver changes your IP.
As you may know, Internet Providers do not offer fixed IP address for free, so your computer gets a new IP adress frenquently, which breaks the DNS you could have set up, unless, as told right above, you are using a DDNS service.
Also, some people do not need nor want their IP address to be known through the whole Internet, they share their IP directly to other people, almost like peer to peer.
And that is why I claim the Darknet existed way before the Internet, as the network already existed before the DNS system. It started with modems where it was first real peer to peer, but quickly changed with the BBS ( Bulletin Board systems). Some also linked their machines with parallel cables, token ring networks, etc... Then only came the Cat5 RJ45 cables ;)
In short what is the DARKnet
The Darknet is nothing else than the sum of all servers available on the net, who are not linked to any domain name.
Example:
If you are using blockchains and have a full wallet, or if you installed a webserver or even a shared hard disk on your machine and have put it behind your DMZ ( Demilitarized Zone, thus public), and if you don't have DDNS nor a domain name, then you are, in fact, part of the DARKnet.
Are you a bad guy ? A thief ? Of course not.
Conslusion
Even if most bad guys hide in it, the DARKnet is not that bad place many think it is, it is probably the biggest part of the Internets, and contains all the "unadverstised" websites... The servers not easily found on the search engines.
Hope you liked this explanation, do not hesitate to comment ;)
