The Dark Web Ecosystem and the Risks It Poses to Women in Light of Contemporary Cyber Security Regulations

The twenty first century is driven by extreme technological spurt. The saying that “The future is at the moment,” often proves that all is conceivable, everything is reachable and everything is a click away, connotes a both positive and negative effect. But with great power comes great responsibility. The layers of the Internet go far beyond the content of the external access of our day-to-day browsing. As common netizens, we use and access barely five per cent of the entire internet, leaving the remaining a vulnerable ground of threats. Unimaginable crimes are committed daily on the Dark Web, ranging from leaking personal data to a market for human organs. The worst affected are women, they are trafficked like commodities; private pictures leaked on social media platforms, often blackmailed, as they are an easy target for activities emerging from the dark web. There have been several occurrences through the years that reported the abuse of this platform for steering criminal acts under the radar. However, the nature and extent of the Dark Web was only taken seriously after the infamous Silk Road case. In this paper, the authors attempt to examine the concepts and reality of Dark Web, the danger it possesses to women in general, further the issues related to the Security of Women on the platform, extending to an analysis digital law in existence and their relationship with the disturbing truths of the Dark Web.