Taking on the Dark Web: Law Enforcement Experts ID Investigative Needs

• NCJ Number: 254769
• Date Published: June 2020
• Length: 3 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2013-MU-CX-K003
• Corporate Author: National Institute of Justice (NIJ)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Technical Assistance); Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Description; Instructional Material (Programmed)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: The research described in this article was funded by NIJ grant 2013-MU-CX-K003, awarded to the RAND Corporation. This article is based on the grantee final report, “Identifying Law Enforcement Needs for Conducting Criminal Investigations Involving Evidence on the Dark Web” (2019), by Sean E. Goodison, Dulani Woods, Jeremy D. Barnum, Adam R. Kemerer, and Brian A. Jackson. The workshop activities underlying the report were supported by RAND in partnership with PERF, on behalf of NIJ.

Annotation

This article presents a report that explored improved methods of investigating crimes committed on the Dark Web.

Abstract

The Dark Web is an encrypted part of the internet that is not indexed by search engines. The anonymity of illicit activity on it is an area of mounting concern to authorities. To raise the visibility of the Dark Web among law enforcement and identify tools that can help them police it, a National Institute of Justice-supported gathering of experts pinpointed key challenges and suggested high-priority needs for addressing them. The group included representatives from Federal, State, and local agencies; academic researchers; and civil rights advocates. This article outlines the report that the RAND Corporation produced on this meeting. The report, "Identifying Law Enforcement Needs for Conducting Criminal Investigations Involving Evidence on the Dark Web," explores better ways to investigate Dark Web crimes.