00:12Many of us see the dark web as the shady corner of the internet, but it's much more than that.
00:17It's also a place where secrets are being brought to light, such as unethical government actions the public should know
00:23about.
00:24And sometimes the dark web can also protect those who act in the public interest.
00:29It can also be a forum where offline activities can be organized, like protests, for example on Facebook's dark web
00:36version.
00:58Manning's leaked documents revealed some truths that might have led to violent protests in Tunisia.
01:02And in a chain reaction, those protests ignited the Arab Spring.
01:08One important lesson that governments and diplomats all around the world learned was that they're not untouchable.
01:13No secret is ever really safe.
01:16So the dark web is also a tool to inform the public about things they won't find in their daily
01:21newspaper.
01:22And as a journalist, I have to say, that's mostly a good thing, isn't it?
01:25Don't we want to know what the government is trying to hide?
01:27Apart from those classified secrets that protect innocent lives.
01:30Even though there are guns, drugs and other criminal activities on the dark web,
01:34I'm out to show you that the dark web isn't all bad.
01:37Now I want to find out more about that bright spot in the dark.
01:40So let's talk to someone who knows all about it.
01:42Lisa Dittmer from Reporters Without Borders.
01:48The dark net, or more precisely, usually we talk about the tool browser,
01:52enables people to anonymously research on the internet,
01:56to access web pages that might be censored in certain countries.
02:00China is probably the most prominent example.
02:03North Korea, obviously, even more heavily so.
02:05But a great number of countries are increasing their surveillance of the internet
02:09and their censorship, that could also include Iran or Russia.
02:12We definitely see both the use of VPN technology and the dark net playing a critical role,
02:18also in recent protests in Belarus and Russia.
02:22Obviously, both states heavily censor the use of social media
02:26and they take away accreditations of journalists.
02:30And so communicating through alternative means
02:33and circumventing these state censorship tools has become really critical.
02:38When we talk about the dark web, we talk a lot about criminals.
02:41Is that a threat for you, for your organization, for freedom of the press,
02:45that this technology also enables a lot of criminal activities?
02:50Obviously, a technology that can be used both for good and for bad will face criticism.
02:55But the issue is, illegal activity won't stop if we shut down the dark net.
02:59I think it's of good merit to discuss both sides.
03:03But attacking encryption and attacking the right to stay anonymous online
03:07fundamentally means you attack press freedom
03:10and you attack people's right to free expression in many parts of the world.
03:20I'm a journalist and I feel safe in Germany.
03:23I can openly criticize my government if I want to,
03:26but many of my colleagues in other countries can't.
03:28They have to fear repression, physical violence or even death.
03:32The dark web allows journalists and activists to do their job
03:35without being restricted, watched or even persecuted by their government.
03:39But also other people want or need to browse privately.
03:42Did you know that in China and in Iran, for example,
03:45people can't access DW.com through the normal internet?
03:48Our websites have been blocked for years.
03:50That's internet censorship.
03:51But DW and other media outlets can be found on the dark web.
03:55All you have to do is download the Tor browser and type in this.
04:09So I've learned that the dark web has a lot to do with internet.
04:12And talking about the Tor browser, the Tor project,
04:15which basically started the dark web, is all about internet freedom.
04:19Of course, the project didn't mean to create a safe haven for pedophiles and drug dealers.
04:24I want to know what Tor is all about.
04:25So I'm calling Julius Mittenzweil.
04:27He's a lawyer, internet activist and part of the Tor project.
04:31The vision of Tor project is to defend yourself against tracking and surveillance and circumvent censorship.
04:39So wherever you are in the normal internet, you're tracked and somebody spies on you.
04:44And Tor tries to prevent that.
05:00Why is it that people mostly think of drugs, hitmen, pedophiles and all these terrible things when they hear the
05:09term dark web?
05:09Because that's what is interesting for the press and they report about that.
05:15It's probably unknown that more than 2 million people use Tor every day.
05:20The vast majority of the users just use it for legal, totally acceptable behavior.
05:26The biggest website in the dark net is Facebook.
05:29How would you say can the Tor network maybe become the new internet of tomorrow?
05:36Tor technology does provide what the private windows or the incognito windows of the main browsers like Firefox, Chrome or
05:46Safari promise.
05:48They promise a private mode, but you aren't private.
05:51And real technologies like Tor, they really offer these privacy features.
05:58And ideally one day it will be the default.
06:03I'm really surprised that the dark web has so many good purposes, but it definitely has an image problem.
06:09Somehow we always seem to focus on the criminals.
06:11It's important that we stop those who use the technology for illegal purposes.
06:15But it's also important to understand that some honorable causes rely on the freedom the dark web offers.
06:21So maybe we should really reconsider calling it the dark web.
06:25Or what do you think?
06:26Are you using the Tor browser?
06:28Let us know in the comments and thanks for watching.
06:42Let us know in the comments and thanks for watching.
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