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Law enforcement: The FBI and other law enforcement groups may use the darknet for sting
operations or to keep governmental IP addresses out of web logs.
Military: Members of the military intelligence community use the darknet as a source of
OSINT, open-source intelligence information - information that is publicly available.
Researchers: Security researchers and "white hat" hackers (people who hack various computer
networks and programs to test or evaluate their security) utilize the darknet as a source of
information on computer software and hardware, exploits, tools, etc.
Companies: Due to the volume of stolen and forged information, fraud, and discussion around
these topics happening on the darknet, many businesses attempt to monitor the darknet for the
presence of or chatter regarding their proprietary information.
Political regimes: People living and/or working in countries being led by oppressive regimes
will often take to the darknet for a myriad of reasons, including:
o
internet access, where access or use of the internet is restricted or highly controlled;
o
political activism or revolutionary actions, including the spread of information both
within country and abroad (e.g. exposing human rights abuse), planning of meet ups or
rallys, etc;
o
safe and private communication, especially for non-governmental organization (NGO)
or private sector employees working in war torn or unstable nations.
Journalists: Many journalists leverage the darknet for encrypted communications to protect
both themselves and their source(s). Journalists also use the darknet to avoid censorship.
Of course where there are valid uses for anonymity, there are also criminals looking to use the
anonymity of the darknet to their advantage, with the largest volume of darknet sites revolving
around drugs, darknet markets (darknet sites for the buying and selling of goods and services), and
fraud. Examples of criminal use of the darknet are seen below.
