Casting light on the dark web : a guide for safe exploration

Title:

Author:

Beckstrom, Matthew author

ISBN:

9781538120934

Publication:

Lanham, Maryland : Rowman & Littlefield, [2019]

Physical Description:

xvi, 116 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Series:

LITA guides.

Contents:

1 What is the dark web? -- Ways to access the dark web -- What is the value of the dark web? -- What can the dark web do for me? -- 2 History of the Internet and dark web -- Beginner's overview of information theory -- Basic history of the Internet -- Understanding privacy needs on the early Internet -- From the deep web to the dark web -- Tor -- Freenet -- I2P -- 3 How it works: The dark details -- Understanding the internet -- The dark web -- 4 Distinguishing fact from fiction : Is the dark web really dark? -- How do we define the dark web? -- Myth 1: The dark web is the place where terrorists go to buy weapons and plan attacks -- Myth 2 : The dark web is mostly a marketplace for illicit drugs -- Myth 3 : The dark web has no value to an 'upstanding' citizen -- Myth 4 : It is illegal to use the dark web -- Myth 5 : The dark web will steal my personal information -- Myth 6 : I need to buy some special hardware or software in order to use the dark web -- Some prominent reports on the dark web -- 5 How to access the dark web -- How to install Tor -- How to install Freenet -- How to install I2P -- Similarities and differences between platforms -- Choosing which platform to use -- Is installing the dark web legal? -- Should I allow my child to download a dark web platform? -- 6 How to browse using the dark web -- How to browse Tor -- How to browse Freenet -- How to browse I2P -- Brief history of dark web sites -- Major dark web sites -- 7 Legal and ethical issues with the dark web -- History of legal and ethical issues on the dark web -- Examples of the illegal content available on the dark web -- How to avoid illegal content on the dark web -- Limiting others' access of illegal content on the dark web -- Can the dark web be taken down? Why you should care -- 8 Research and advocacy on the dark web -- Dark web research -- Infrastructure -- Advocacy -- Financial opportunity -- 9 Reaping the rewards of the dark web -- A tale of internet past -- The big pitch -- Final words -- The end.

Abstract:

Casting Light on the Dark Web: A Guide for Safe Exploration is an easy-to-read and comprehensive guide to understanding how the dark web works and why you should be using it! Readers will be led on a tour of this elusive technology, from how to download the platform for personal or public use to how it can best be used for finding information. This guide busts myths and informs readers while remaining entertaining. Casting Light on the Dark Web is useful for people of all levels of interest knowledge and expertise. -- From back cover.

Subject Term:

Invisible Web -- Safety measures.

Dark Web -- Safety measures.

Internet searching.

Privacy, Right of.

Internet searching. (OCoLC)fst00977289

Privacy, Right of. (OCoLC)fst01077444

Local Subject:

LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE COLLECTION

Added Author:

Lund, Brady, 1994-

Other Format:

Online version: Beckstrom, Matthew, author. Casting light on the dark web Lanham, Maryland : Rowman & Littlefield, [2019] 9781538120941 (DLC) 2019012440

Available:

Library	Call Number	Material Type	Status
Searching... State Library of Oregon	025.0425 Becks	4-Week Loan	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Covers topics from what the dark web is, to how it works, to how you can use it, to some of the myths surrounding it. Casting Light on the Dark Web: A Guide for Safe Exploration is an easy-to-read and comprehensive guide to understanding how the Dark Web works and why you should be using it Readers will be led on a tour of this elusive technology from how to download the platform for personal or public use, to how it can best be utilized for finding information. This guide busts myths and informs readers, while remaining jargon-free and entertaining. Useful for people of all levels of internet knowledge and experience.

Author Notes

Matthew Beckstrom was born and raised in Montana. He received an Associate's degree in Computer Science from the University of Montana, and then later, a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Montana State University. After working in various technology jobs, he finally settled into the job of systems manager at the Lewis & Clark Library in Helena in 1999. In 2012, he received his Master's degree in Information Science from the University of North Texas after receiving a grant from the Montana State Library to attend library school. Brady Lund is a PhD student at Emporia State University's School of Library and Information Management. He holds a Master's of Library Science from Emporia State and a Bachelor's in Communication Science and Disorders from Wichita State University. He has previously published articles in several major Library and Information Science Journals on topics ranging from information security to knowledge organization and initially presented on the topic of the dark web at the 2017 American Library Association Annual Conference.

Summary:

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

For those who think of the dark web as inherently malign, this concise and informative primer will set them straight. Armed with masters degrees in, respectively, information and library science, Beckstrom and Lund set out to provide a "no-bull guide to the dark web," starting by clarifying that calling this loose-knit group of specially-accessed websites dark doesn't connote nefarious purposes, but user anonymity--a potentially desirable quality for political dissidents, whistle-blowers, and people simply concerned with online privacy. The authors explore the three major browsers available--Freenet, I2P, and Tor (the most popular)--and provide guidance for accessing and downloading all three, security tips, and helpful screen grabs. They also debunk six common myths about their subject--such as "the dark web is mostly a marketplace for illicit drugs" or "it is illegal to use the dark web--and cover how to avoid illegal activity on the dark web and what to do if one does encounter it (in general, call or email the FBI). Readers will immediately note how the book is structured--each chapter is self-contained, with its own table of contents and bibliography--a somewhat unusual but effective organizing principle aimed at usability. Beckstrom and Lund's smart and well-informed guide makes a clear case for the dark web's benefits and dispels associated myths. (Sept.)

Choice Review

Casting Light on the Dark Web is both a concise, readable guide to the dark web and an attempt by Beckstrom and Lund to dispel the negative image of the dark web often presented in the media. The authors meet both of these goals, offering a solid primer on the history of the internet and dark web, basic technical information for accessing and browsing the dark web, and legal and ethical issues. The chapters are well organized--each has its own brief table of contents and copious notes--but the book is repetitive and includes frequent asides from the authors. The authors' attempt to create an entertaining narrative comes at the sacrifice of content, which never moves past the rudimentary. The book does not delve too deeply into the technological, ethical, or political thought needed to make this a useful source on the dark web for scholars. It does, however, provide timely, basic information that will be helpful for nonspecialists seeking to learn more about this often misunderstood sector of the internet. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates, students in technical programs, and general readers. --Kelly Marie Singh, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University