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Darknet

Darknet means portions of the Internet that are not found by popular search engines or even using standard browsers. The users remain anonymous, hence the darknet is often a magnet for criminals.

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Two hands seen typing on keyboard with numbers and graphs in the background and a blue filter overlay

Two hands seen typing on keyboard with numbers and graphs in the background and a blue filter overlay

US, German authorities block 'Hive' ransomware website

German prosecutors said the group was responsible for more than 1,500 cyberattacks.

"Darknet" platforms

"Darknet" platforms

Germany strikes against child sex abuse 'darknet' forums

German investigators have closed three Internet forums on the "darknet" with depictions of the sexual abuse of children.

The back of an internet server

The back of an internet server

Germany closes Russian darknet market Hydra

Police say they have shut down the German servers for the darknet hub, which saw sales skyrocket during the pandemic.

The former NATO bunker was secured in a swoop by hundreds of law enforcement personnel in 2019

The former NATO bunker was secured in a swoop by hundreds of law enforcement personnel in 2019

German court jails operators of darknet cyber hub

A court in western Germany has jailed the operators of a so-called cyberbunker in a picturesque village.

Europol headquarters

Europol headquarters

Police arrest 150 'high value' darknet vendors

After taking down a darknet market in January, authorities have now detained 150 "high value" targets around the world.

Image for virus alarm

Image for virus alarm

Cybercrime a booming business — thanks to COVID

The coronavirus pandemic has given a huge boost to internet crime, and Germany is a particular target.

Person typing at their laptop computer

Person typing at their laptop computer

German police bust darknet child sex abuse platform

After months of investigation, German police busted the "Boystown" child sex abuse platform with over 400,000 members.

Symbolbild Hacker schreibt auf Tastatur

Symbolbild Hacker schreibt auf Tastatur

Darknet: More than a cybercrime network

The darknet is too often associated with crime. But it's also an essential space for freedom of expression.

Authorities say it could be the biggest darknet marketplace bust

Authorities say it could be the biggest darknet marketplace bust

'Largest illegal darknet marketplace' taken offline

German authorities said drugs, counterfeit money, stolen credit card data and malware were all traded on the site.

An office in the bunker in Traben-Trarbach

An office in the bunker in Traben-Trarbach

Dark web Cyberbunker trial breaks new ground

Is a group that allegedly operated darknet servers in a former NATO bunker really responsible for 250,000 crimes?

Symbolbild - Kindesmissbrauch

Symbolbild - Kindesmissbrauch

Online child abuse is on the rise in Germany

Tens of thousands of suspects are linked to the latest high-profile case.

Representational image of a screen and keyboard.

Representational image of a screen and keyboard.

International sting on darknet drug trafficking networks

An operation by US and European police agencies has led to the arrests of more than 170 suspected online criminals.

cocaine package being cut open

cocaine package being cut open

Darknet: 'Chemical Revolution' drug dealers go on trial

The trial against the alleged 'Chemical Revolution' dealers begins in Germany this week.

Symbolbild - Kindesmissbrauch

Symbolbild - Kindesmissbrauch

Child abuse: German authorities are overwhelmed

Germany is shocked by a nationwide case of organized child abuse, showing that again protection mechanisms failed

Symbolbild Online Radikalisierung von Terroristen

Symbolbild Online Radikalisierung von Terroristen

How the internet fosters far-right radicalization

Researchers still know relatively little about far-right terrorists — but many seem to become radicalized online.

Heckler & Koch submachine gun MP5 (file photo)

Heckler & Koch submachine gun MP5 (file photo)

Nazi memorabilia and weapons collector sentenced

The man had spent over a decade in near-complete isolation from the outside world.

Dark net child porn

Dark net child porn

Germany to use fake child porn to nab pedophiles

Employing computer-generated child pornography to identify darknet users is not without ethical controversy.

Police outside the darknet data servers in Traben-Trarbach

Police outside the darknet data servers in Traben-Trarbach

Darknet cybercrime servers hosted in NATO bunker

Police stormed a bunker hosting the illegal "Wall Street Market" darknet platform in a quiet town in Germany.

Darknet Symbol

Darknet Symbol

German cops arrest suspects in raid on darknet server

The suspects are under investigation for trafficking weapons, drugs and child sex abuse images.

Director of Criminal Investigation Mathias Schroweg speaks at a joint press conference of the Göttingen Police Department and the Göttingen Public Prosecutor's Office

Director of Criminal Investigation Mathias Schroweg speaks at a joint press conference of the Göttingen Police Department and the Göttingen Public Prosecutor's Office

German police operation shuts down bomb-making website

Around 1,000 thousand police officers have seized drugs and explosives in raids across Germany, Lithuania and Croatia.

Darknet police notice

Darknet police notice

German police smash darknet child porn ring

An anonymous tip prompted German police to investigate and eventually dismantle a child porn ring visited by hundreds.

Ecstasy, MDMA pills on a small scale

Ecstasy, MDMA pills on a small scale

Police unravel Germany's largest online narcotics market

Eleven people suspected of being behind Germany's largest online drug shop have been arrested and the site shut down.

Darknet: Image of screen with data

Darknet: Image of screen with data

German police arrest 3 in darknet probe

Stolen data, forged documents and drugs were reportedly sold from around the world on the "Wall Street Market" platform.

Elysium child pornography network

Elysium child pornography network

German child porn network founders jailed

Four men have been convicted of running a German platform where more than 111,000 users traded in child pornography.

Glock 17 handgun used in a 2016 Munich shooting rampage carried out by David S.

Glock 17 handgun used in a 2016 Munich shooting rampage carried out by David S.

Darknet operator sentenced to six years

A court has found a 31-year-old man guilty of operating a platform that allowed a gunman to purchase his murder weapon.

Child abuse

Child abuse

Should children have the right to a lawyer?

German kids' charities say minors must have the right to an attorney, after a mother was sentenced for pimping her son.

A boy holds his head in his hands

A boy holds his head in his hands

Child abuse can cause mental disorders

A mother and her partner pimped out her son to pedophiles for years. Can a child ever overcome such abuse?

Ines Pohl

Ines Pohl

Don't turn away

A lurid sexual abuse case in Staufen has shocked Germany. We must be vigilant, writes Ines Pohl, DW's editor-in-chief.

The boy's mother being led away

The boy's mother being led away

German mother jailed for selling son for sex online

Investigators in Freiburg say it's one of the most horrific child abuse cases they've ever seen.

The silhouette of an adult reaching their hands out to a child

The silhouette of an adult reaching their hands out to a child

Verdict in Staufen child sex abuse case

The man admitted to raping a 9-year-old German boy whose mother sold him for sex online.

A teddy bear sits on the floor of a room

A teddy bear sits on the floor of a room

Trial begins in child sex abuse case

A young boy was sold for sex online, allegedly by his mother and her partner. DW examines the case that shocked Germany.

A screenshot from a groupchat for Elysium

A screenshot from a groupchat for Elysium

Four Germans charged for child porn darknet site

The men, aged between 40 and 62, are accused of operating a gang-like child pornography network.

Philipp K. awaits his verdict in court

Philipp K. awaits his verdict in court

Munich shooting: Darknet gun dealer sentenced to seven years

A German court has sentenced a man to seven years for selling a gun that was used in the 2016 mass shooting in Munich.

Symbolbild Darknet

Symbolbild Darknet

Darknet, the shady internet

The darknet is a playground for illegal activities. This is how it works.

darknet screenshot

darknet screenshot

German authorities apprehend sexual abuser

German police have arrested a man for sexually abusing a 4-year-old girl and distributing video and photos of the act.

Illustration - Cyberkriminalität Darknet

Illustration - Cyberkriminalität Darknet

Norway paper: Police ran child porn site

Norway's biggest paper has revealed that Australian police secretly ran a major child pornography site.

Flowers, candles and personal messages at the scene of the shooting

Flowers, candles and personal messages at the scene of the shooting

Munich shooting: Trial against weapon dealer opens

Philipp K. is alleged to have been in contact with teenage shooter David S. over the darknet.

Picture of computer keyboard illuminated from below

Picture of computer keyboard illuminated from below

Details emerge on Germany's darknet webmasters

Two Germans are believed to be behind the notorious darknet drug market Hansa.

Alphabay seizure notice

Alphabay seizure notice

Darknet markets shut down in twin busts

International police have orchestrated an incredible double takedown of darknet drug markets, ensnaring countless users.

Thai police hold a press conference on the death of Alexandre Cazes

Thai police hold a press conference on the death of Alexandre Cazes

Alleged Alphabay operator found dead

The man suspected of running a massive darknet marketplace has been found hanged with a towel in a Thai prison.

Symbolbild Kinderpornografie im Darknet

Symbolbild Kinderpornografie im Darknet

Darknet child porn platform busted

A large darknet platform used by members to exchange material showing children being sexually abused has been shut down.

Illustration - Cyberkriminalität Darknet

Illustration - Cyberkriminalität Darknet

Germany arrests alleged darknet purveyor of weapons, drugs

The suspect is believed to have provided weapons to the mass shooter who terrorized Munich last summer.

DW Sendung Shift Bitcoins

DW Sendung Shift Bitcoins

Bitcoin: Paying with the cryptocurrency

The cryptocurrency Bitcoin is gaining popularity as a means of payment for legitimate transactions.

The impact of data theft

Hackers stole the data of over 500 million Yahoo users. What can be done now?

Berlin Vorstellung des Lageberichts Organisierte Kriminalität. de Maiziere

Berlin Vorstellung des Lageberichts Organisierte Kriminalität. de Maiziere

German police 'forced to choose' between mafia and terror

Organized crime is costing Germany billions and increasingly working via encrypted networks, the German police has said.

Deutschland Hannover CeBIT - Bitcoin Ballon

Deutschland Hannover CeBIT - Bitcoin Ballon

Bitcoin: backlash to reclaim privacy, security

Andrew Miller tells DW why cryptocurrencies could spark a backlash against our surrendering of private data.

Symbolbild Apple Dropbox

Symbolbild Apple Dropbox

Dropbox confirms data hack

Four years after a data breach, the cloud storage firm has admitted that user data have been spread across the internet.

Frankfurt Zollfahndungsamt Waffenhändler Festnahme Präsentation Waffen

Frankfurt Zollfahndungsamt Waffenhändler Festnahme Präsentation Waffen

Munich shooter spent thousands on gun, ammo

The teenager who went on a shooting rampage in Munich bought the weapon and ammunition for 4,350 euros (nearly $4,900).

30.12.2013 DW shift Dark Net

30.12.2013 DW shift Dark Net

What is the darknet most used for?

1. File sharing (29) | 2. Leaked data (28) | 3. Financial fraud (12) | 4. News (10) | 5. Advertising (6)

Wiesbaden BKA Vorstellung Lagebericht Cybercrime 2015

Wiesbaden BKA Vorstellung Lagebericht Cybercrime 2015

Selling on the darknet? The BKA may be shopping

Policing the digital underground requires discreet and tech-savvy cops.