The Dark Web

9.0

2019

There’s a dark side to the internet, and you probably don’t even know it exists. Go behind the positive veneer of social media, communication apps and platforms that have made our lives easier and more connected, and you’ll find criminals using the same apps and platforms to run illicit and dangerous activities. Sextortion syndicates target global victims through social media. Illegal wildlife trades thrive on social consumer marketplaces. Digital black markets operate anonymously using software designed for press privacy and freedom. Secret child pornography rings run rampant in secret, closed groups and private chats.

Production

Available For Free On

Seasons

4 Episodes • Premiered 2019

1. Queen of Sextortion

Sextortion was invented by one woman in the Philippines, Maria Caparas. She turned the idea of making friends online and video chats into a clever, evil scam that would not exist without social media.

2. Wildlife Clickbait

They may look like ordinary posts of exotic pets for sale on social media. But they are feeding a rising illegal wildlife trade in Malaysia, part of a global wildlife crime worth billions.

3. Black Market Boom

Drugs, guns, counterfeit documents are sold on dark web marketplaces that run on anonymous browsers and cryptocurrency. AlphaBay was the biggest marketplace, transacting over US$800,000 in a day.

4. The Candyman

It was one of 640 million closed groups on Facebook. Hiding behind the anonymity, the creator of child pornography group Loli Candy and its 7,000 members hid their activities on Facebook and WhatsApp.