Meet the Good Guys of the Deep Web

Most
mainstream media coverage has derided the Deep Web as a hub of
child pornography and hitmen for hire. But though there may be
depraved activities facilitated by the underground network, there
are also many upstanding individuals using marketplaces like the
Silk Road to ease the pain of unjust laws and otherwise do
good.

Doctor X is a trained physician that works on harm reduction
projects in real life but helps Silk Road users in his free time by
providing answers to any of their questions—all for free. He
started in June 2013, and received 600 questions and 5,000 visits
after just three months. In an interview
with Joseph Cox of Vice, Doctor X said:

“Drug users need more…They need answers, and that’s what I try
to provide. People ask me about the real risks and adverse effects,
drug combinations [illegal and prescriptive] and the use of drugs
in persons suffering from different conditions, such as diabetes or
neurological problems.”

There is a growing consensus that the Silk
Road marketplace reduces violence that is traditionally
associated with the black market. The new “Dread Pirate Roberts,”
who runs the second version of the Silk Road, emphasized this in an

interview with Mike Power, author of the book Drugs
2.0:

“Ultimately you cannot stop people doing drugs, but you can make
it safer for them, and get people off the streets and away from
violence — which is what we stand for.”

A hacker that goes by the name of “Intangir” became a champion
for Deep Web enthusiasts last March when he hacked into the Hidden
Wiki, which is a mixture of Google and Wikipedia for the Deep Web,
and deleted all of the links to child pornography. He tweeted this
after doing it:

“In 1 move, I did more to limit CP access than all the Twitter
pedo hunters of the last 3 years. What have you done today?”

Though there may be some questionable activities that take place
on the Deep Web, the good intentions of users around the world are
also clear. Marketplaces like the Silk Road and hackers like
Intangir are integral parts of technology’s initiative to transform
our economy and culture into a more rational, efficient, and safer
place.