No, Apart from the very fact that the Dark Web is set up such that criminalizing access is impossible to enforce, there are many legitimate reasons to use the dark web. The Dark Web has its own social media versions, and offers extra levels of anonymity if you want to communicate without being directly linked to your ideas. We all know that Pioneer Park hosts its fair share of drug deals and shady meetings, but that doesn’t mean that we should be criminalized just for visiting the park! The Dark Web is just a different style of networking, which albeit is easier to conduct illicit activities over, but in the end is just a tool. Criminalizing the Dark Web would be like creating a class of computer programs that are illegal just because of how they exchange information with other computers—and that’s ridiculous.
No, I don't think that accessing and using the Dark Web should criminalized. The dark web is unfortunately often used for illegal activities, but those activities are already criminalized. The dark web isn't only used for criminal activities though. The technology that makes the dark web possible does help people in repressive governments get information online that would otherwise be blocked to them.
No, I don't think that accessing and using the Dark Web should be criminalized. It can be used for criminal acts but it also can be used for other reasons. If someone is using the dark web to commit a crime then they should be punished for the crime and not for using the dark web.
i don't think that the deep web should be illegal. I'm not sure how I feel about the dark web though. I feel like if you're on the dark web you are engaging in criminal activity or watching it go on. But you aren't doing anything wrong if you don't act on anything. I'm not sure how they would know who is accessing it or who is engageing in criminal activity unless they caught someone in the act. So I guess it shouldn't be illegal but it still puts me on edge.
No, it should not be. It is most known for illegal activities, but it can also be used for good, such as helping people in repressive regimes gain access to information, as well as serving to help whistleblowers.
Can a law enforcement agency clarify whether or not a person accessed something on the deep web or whether or not they accessed something on the dark web? If there is a way to make a distinction, I may lean toward saying “yes.” However, I don’t think accessing the Dark Web should be criminalized because that’s charging someone before a crime has actually been committed. That’s relying on an assumption and I don’t think that it is proof. A crime hasn’t been committed yet. I think if there is a way to tell whether or not a person uses the Dark Web by purchasing or selling illegal materials, that it should be criminalized. I believed that “accessing and using” the Dark Web should only be criminalized if distinctions can be made. If not, it should not be criminalized because it’s too much of a blanket statement that would criminalize people who don’t deserve to have that happen. Also, it will cost society more money.
No, making the dark web illegal to access is dangerously close to thought policing. The intent to do illegal things or doing research illegal things should not be illegal, actual crimes should be illegal. If people do illegal things on the dark web they should be charged for their crimes not for the way they accessed it. It would be like banning meeting in the park because that is how lots of drugs are sold.
No. Just looking at the dark web shouldn't be illegal, we have the right to see things. As long as you are not engaging in illegal activity, it's okay. The police should focus on those who are actually committing crimes. If someone enters the dark web, and shows intent to commit a crime, then law enforcement action could be warranted.
As Alex said and has been said in other places, there is no way (that I am aware of) to differentiate Dark Web use from other Internet traffic. If it can be proven that a computer user used the Dark Web to do something illegal, then the issue at hand is the illegal activity, not the use of the dark web. So no, any attempt to regulate the Dark Web will not have any impact on using it illegally. Users who use it illegally are already using it for illegal activity, and users who are using it legally are not easy to distinguish from any other Internet traffic.
No. I liked Christian Hansen's parallel to going to the black market to window shop. However, I think another question to ask is that given the illegal nature of goods and services that can be purchased on the Dark Web, should you, as a Dark Web user, have the same expectation to privacy from surveillance as those only browsing the surface web? That is to say, if you're shopping at Walmart, are you entitled to the same expectation of privacy (or lack thereof) as when you're shopping at this shady black market?
No, for the same reasons given by Alex and Simon. There's nothing inherently illegal about using the Dark Web itself, only the illegal activities it can potentially enable. Until there's a better way to distinguish that web traffic from regular use, it doesn't make sense to make the Dark Web illegal.
No, it should not. The illicit actions conducted on the dark web - such as child pornography, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, etc., should obviously be persecuted, but the dark web should not. The dark web allows for free expression for those under oppressive regimes, and outlawing the dark web outlaws the ability to freely speak.
No. My main opposition to making the dark web illegal is that doing so would get rid of one more safe setting for whistleblowers to report corruption. Much as I do not like the sound of the majority of dark web activity, it is a safeguard to online anonymity. This is a right that many people abuse all the time for illegal purposes, but that doesn't make it okay to take it away from everyone. I like Alex's thought on Pioneer Park. We can't just automatically criminalize a place where illegal activity takes place.
No, accessing and using the dark web should not be criminalized. As others have mentioned there are good reasons for having the dark web available for whistleblowers and those under regimes that do not allow free speech. I believe only the illegal acts themselves should be criminalized, but not accessing the dark web.
No, I don't think simply accessing the dark web should be criminalized. Simply looking at some sites on the dark web is not an act that endangers the viewer or others; however, I think traffic to some sites should be monitored. If anything, I think if law enforcement deemed some sites to be dangerous by simply existing they should take action to shut the sites down rather than mark people who may be simply curious as criminals for going there.
I don't think accessing the Dark Web should be illegal. Accessing the Dark Wev itself does not automatically mean that you are breaking/going to break the law, as it serves other, more legal functions as well I'm sure. Illegal activities can still be restricted or monitored, but simply going there isn't a crime unto itself, just like going to a place with a high crime rate doesn't mean you are going to commit a crime.
For the sake of conversation, Yes, I think that accessing the dark web should be criminalized, whether or not you purchase something there. The dark web only provides complete anonymity when carrying out transactions, most of which are illegal. I feel like there can be another way that we can respect anonymity without having the possibility of selling illegal goods and services. Plus, window shopping is not always the best thing. I have been many times, and most times that I go, I do buy something. Even if my sole purpose in going was to just window shop. Maybe it is a sign that I have no self control, but that is beside the point. The point is that there is no reason that we should be going to the dark web to "window shop" for illegal goods and services. So why not outlaw it altogether. If the goods and services are already illegal, why not stop the medium on which they are sold?
No, we do not need to criminalize the dark web. We already have so many issues of overcrowding in our prisons and such, we do not need to be prosecuting a new "crime" that is not necessarily threatening to anyone. Simply accessing the dark web is no wrongdoing, and- much like life out in our real world- everyone is responsible for their actions and the legality of them once they are there.
No,
ReplyDeleteApart from the very fact that the Dark Web is set up such that criminalizing access is impossible to enforce, there are many legitimate reasons to use the dark web. The Dark Web has its own social media versions, and offers extra levels of anonymity if you want to communicate without being directly linked to your ideas. We all know that Pioneer Park hosts its fair share of drug deals and shady meetings, but that doesn’t mean that we should be criminalized just for visiting the park! The Dark Web is just a different style of networking, which albeit is easier to conduct illicit activities over, but in the end is just a tool. Criminalizing the Dark Web would be like creating a class of computer programs that are illegal just because of how they exchange information with other computers—and that’s ridiculous.
No, I don't think that accessing and using the Dark Web should criminalized. The dark web is unfortunately often used for illegal activities, but those activities are already criminalized. The dark web isn't only used for criminal activities though. The technology that makes the dark web possible does help people in repressive governments get information online that would otherwise be blocked to them.
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't think that accessing and using the Dark Web should be criminalized. It can be used for criminal acts but it also can be used for other reasons. If someone is using the dark web to commit a crime then they should be punished for the crime and not for using the dark web.
ReplyDeletei don't think that the deep web should be illegal. I'm not sure how I feel about the dark web though. I feel like if you're on the dark web you are engaging in criminal activity or watching it go on. But you aren't doing anything wrong if you don't act on anything. I'm not sure how they would know who is accessing it or who is engageing in criminal activity unless they caught someone in the act. So I guess it shouldn't be illegal but it still puts me on edge.
ReplyDeleteNo, it should not be. It is most known for illegal activities, but it can also be used for good, such as helping people in repressive regimes gain access to information, as well as serving to help whistleblowers.
ReplyDeleteCan a law enforcement agency clarify whether or not a person accessed something on the deep web or whether or not they accessed something on the dark web? If there is a way to make a distinction, I may lean toward saying “yes.” However, I don’t think accessing the Dark Web should be criminalized because that’s charging someone before a crime has actually been committed. That’s relying on an assumption and I don’t think that it is proof. A crime hasn’t been committed yet. I think if there is a way to tell whether or not a person uses the Dark Web by purchasing or selling illegal materials, that it should be criminalized. I believed that “accessing and using” the Dark Web should only be criminalized if distinctions can be made. If not, it should not be criminalized because it’s too much of a blanket statement that would criminalize people who don’t deserve to have that happen. Also, it will cost society more money.
ReplyDeleteNo, making the dark web illegal to access is dangerously close to thought policing. The intent to do illegal things or doing research illegal things should not be illegal, actual crimes should be illegal. If people do illegal things on the dark web they should be charged for their crimes not for the way they accessed it. It would be like banning meeting in the park because that is how lots of drugs are sold.
ReplyDeleteNo. Just looking at the dark web shouldn't be illegal, we have the right to see things. As long as you are not engaging in illegal activity, it's okay. The police should focus on those who are actually committing crimes. If someone enters the dark web, and shows intent to commit a crime, then law enforcement action could be warranted.
ReplyDeleteAs Alex said and has been said in other places, there is no way (that I am aware of) to differentiate Dark Web use from other Internet traffic. If it can be proven that a computer user used the Dark Web to do something illegal, then the issue at hand is the illegal activity, not the use of the dark web.
ReplyDeleteSo no, any attempt to regulate the Dark Web will not have any impact on using it illegally. Users who use it illegally are already using it for illegal activity, and users who are using it legally are not easy to distinguish from any other Internet traffic.
No. I liked Christian Hansen's parallel to going to the black market to window shop. However, I think another question to ask is that given the illegal nature of goods and services that can be purchased on the Dark Web, should you, as a Dark Web user, have the same expectation to privacy from surveillance as those only browsing the surface web? That is to say, if you're shopping at Walmart, are you entitled to the same expectation of privacy (or lack thereof) as when you're shopping at this shady black market?
ReplyDeleteNo, for the same reasons given by Alex and Simon. There's nothing inherently illegal about using the Dark Web itself, only the illegal activities it can potentially enable. Until there's a better way to distinguish that web traffic from regular use, it doesn't make sense to make the Dark Web illegal.
ReplyDeleteNo, it should not. The illicit actions conducted on the dark web - such as child pornography, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, etc., should obviously be persecuted, but the dark web should not. The dark web allows for free expression for those under oppressive regimes, and outlawing the dark web outlaws the ability to freely speak.
ReplyDeleteNo. My main opposition to making the dark web illegal is that doing so would get rid of one more safe setting for whistleblowers to report corruption. Much as I do not like the sound of the majority of dark web activity, it is a safeguard to online anonymity. This is a right that many people abuse all the time for illegal purposes, but that doesn't make it okay to take it away from everyone. I like Alex's thought on Pioneer Park. We can't just automatically criminalize a place where illegal activity takes place.
ReplyDeleteNo, accessing and using the dark web should not be criminalized. As others have mentioned there are good reasons for having the dark web available for whistleblowers and those under regimes that do not allow free speech. I believe only the illegal acts themselves should be criminalized, but not accessing the dark web.
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't think simply accessing the dark web should be criminalized. Simply looking at some sites on the dark web is not an act that endangers the viewer or others; however, I think traffic to some sites should be monitored. If anything, I think if law enforcement deemed some sites to be dangerous by simply existing they should take action to shut the sites down rather than mark people who may be simply curious as criminals for going there.
ReplyDeleteI don't think accessing the Dark Web should be illegal. Accessing the Dark Wev itself does not automatically mean that you are breaking/going to break the law, as it serves other, more legal functions as well I'm sure. Illegal activities can still be restricted or monitored, but simply going there isn't a crime unto itself, just like going to a place with a high crime rate doesn't mean you are going to commit a crime.
ReplyDeleteFor the sake of conversation, Yes, I think that accessing the dark web should be criminalized, whether or not you purchase something there. The dark web only provides complete anonymity when carrying out transactions, most of which are illegal. I feel like there can be another way that we can respect anonymity without having the possibility of selling illegal goods and services. Plus, window shopping is not always the best thing. I have been many times, and most times that I go, I do buy something. Even if my sole purpose in going was to just window shop. Maybe it is a sign that I have no self control, but that is beside the point. The point is that there is no reason that we should be going to the dark web to "window shop" for illegal goods and services. So why not outlaw it altogether. If the goods and services are already illegal, why not stop the medium on which they are sold?
ReplyDeleteNo, we do not need to criminalize the dark web. We already have so many issues of overcrowding in our prisons and such, we do not need to be prosecuting a new "crime" that is not necessarily threatening to anyone. Simply accessing the dark web is no wrongdoing, and- much like life out in our real world- everyone is responsible for their actions and the legality of them once they are there.
ReplyDelete