the darknet emerges
DESCRIPTION
We are currently moving out of a period of “Peak Privacy,” and into an era of “Peak Surveillance.” Encryption and other protective capabilities previously available only to governments, the super-rich, and hackers are now more accessible to the public. Recent events like the NSA snooping scandal have pushed privacy and security issues to the forefront of mainstream consciousness. The result of these converging factors will be the emergence of the DarkNet, a new kind of Internet where large numbers of people will be able to conceal their online behavior. This talk will explore the features of the DarkNet and consider the mass adoption of hacker-like behaviors, including the use of anonymous online identities that cannot be linked to the physical identity of the person. It will also ask what this means for companies, and how they might plan for, and profit from, the coming shift using SnapChat, Silent Circle, and other apps as examples that point the way to a secure digital futureTRANSCRIPT
hugeinc.com [email protected] 45 Main St. #220 Brooklyn, NY 11201 +1 718 625 4843
March 9, 2014 The darknet emerges
Darknet: The spaces and
technologies used avoid
personal identification on the
internet.
• Tor / Onion routing • VPNs of all types
• PGP and encryption: Email, chat, whole disk, etc.
• Bitcoin et al: pseudonymous crypto-currencies
• Secure hardware environments: Linux and open source software, non Intel / AMD processors
• Encrypted, distributed virtual hosting (think Pirate Bay)
• Generally speaking: Distributed, P2P, non-centralized software infrastructure
• Real-world OpSec: Keeping quiet
Components of the current darknet
• Drugs (Silk Road) • Wikileaks • Anonymous / Hacktivism • Civil disobedience • Murder / extortion for hire • Weapons • Personal / private information • Software, botnet, or exploit marketplaces
The Darknet in the news.
So why would anybody want to
be there?
“A mill for grinding rouges honest”
-Jeremy Bentham
The decline of physical privacy.
Generally speaking decent people.
The opportunities for abuse of the
panopticon are immense.
“Power corrupts. Absolute power
corrupts absolutely.”
-‐Lord Acton, 1887
Blackmail.
Trading on personal information.
Exposure of unpopular / private
beliefs or activities.
As ‘real world’
privacy
disappears, digital
privacy will grow.
The birth of digital
schizophrenia.
SecDent
End-to-end encryption is just an app
away.
• Silent Circle • Anonyme • Snapchat • Secret • Meshnet hardware / software • Anonymous local area networks
Commercializing privacy.
• Distributed platforms to enable contracts between anonymous SecDents
• Anonymous multi-signature escrow accounts to allow for bonded transactions
• SecDent ownership of real-world assets
• Anonymous, multi-hop delivery services and dropboxes
Emerging darknet capabilities.
• Encrypted communications
• Secure computing environment
• Bitcoin wallets • Whole-disk encryption • SecDents / handles • Low-risk political and
social speech
"The Personal is Political”
-Carol Hanisch
Defense of critical
institutions and
democratic processes
will require adoption of
darknet elements.
Questions…
hugeinc.com [email protected] 45 Main St. #220 Brooklyn, NY 11201 +1 718 625 4843