A woman who volunteered to delve into the dark web over a two-day period shared her opinion on whether it lived up to its 'sinister reputation'.
It's widely regarded as the internet's version of the underworld and most people wouldn't go near it with a ten foot pole - but you've got to admit, we've all wondered what's on there.
This shadowy corner of the online realm is only accessible by special software which allows users to be anonymous and untraceable, so it doesn't take a genius to work out what kind of content it offers.
Thankfully for us lot, Achina Sirohi Mayya took one for the team and explored the dark web for 48 hours to see what all the fuss is about.
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The content creator, who is the founder of India’s 'number one video mastery school' Aevy, documented the online experiment in a YouTube video.
In the clip shared in August last year, Achina explained that she's been 'fascinated' by the concept of the dark web for a very long time, while being equal parts 'unsettled'.
Revealing some of the assumptions she had about the dark web, Achina said: "All I have heard is that the most terrible bits of humanity can be found neatly organised within the strands of the dark web.
"Drugs, weapons, human trafficking...God knows what else could be down there. We'd been told that it's definitely a place to stay away from and, naturally, that made all of us all the more curious."
Achina said her amateur investigation was quite the learning curve. Armed with just a laptop and a VPN, she went as 'far into the dark web as she legally could'.
She initially stumbled across some fairly tame content by dark web standards, such as political forums, people exercising free speech and whistleblowers.
But according to Achina, there are also some 'truly horrifying things' on there, as she told viewers: "About 57 percent of dark web content is illegal, most of it involving drugs and weapons. And the scale is staggering.
"Fake IDs. Stolen iPhones. Hacking services. While casually browsing, you might even come across your own personal data.
"Massive corporate breaches? That stolen data often ends up for sale on the dark web - and it’s shockingly cheap. Millions of users. Passwords sold for peanuts.
"Stolen data gets packaged into 'fullz', complete digital profiles containing everything about you.
"These are sold to cybercriminals who launch phishing scams, fake job offers, investment traps or apply for loans using your identity. Maybe take it seriously when they say, 'You should change your password'."
Achina said that although there are some real dangers on the dark web, she also reckons that a huge percentage of it 'is just scams'.
"It has a reputation, so people go there expecting something dark and scammers take advantage of that," she suggested.
"Organ sales, fake cures, hitman services. Most of it is probably fake and victims can’t report it without incriminating themselves."
Still, she admitted that she found out that some of the rumours about the dark web are true after all - as she claimed to have found content related to 'gore, violence, snuff [films], human trafficking, as well as entire forums dedicated to buying and selling human beings'.
Sharing her thoughts on what she saw, Achina said: "It’s sickening. And entering the dark web makes you question what kind of world we’re really living in.
"The psychology of visiting the dark web is well documented - people enter out of curiosity, but exposure to taboo content can normalise intrusive thoughts and desensitise users over time. It can embolden. It can spiral.
"So what is the dark web? Good or bad? It’s both. It’s a paradox, a carnival mirror held up to humanity, reflecting our most heroic instincts alongside our darkest impulses at the same time. So, take this as a warning.
"The dark web is not a playground for casual curiosity. It’s not just forbidden territory. It’s dangerous. Unless you’re a whistleblower or working with journalistic intent, it is not worth going there. Please do not try this at home."
Topics: Technology, YouTube, News, Crime
Olivia Burke