Short Opinion Article: On Surfing the Deep Web in the United Arab Emirates.

Eng. Yaqoob Al Shamsi

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• Publié par: alshamsy
• Publié le: 04 juillet 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 5
• Langue: English

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Eng. Yaqoob Al Shamsi Short Opinion Article 3/7/2016 On Surfing the Deep Web in the United Arab Emirates

Warning: If you are under 21, please do not read this report. (Left blank intentionally)

On Surfing the Deep Web in the United Arab Emirates

To understand how big the deep web is, try to imagine thinking that the entire world was only the North American continent, then all of a sudden, you find out about the rest of the world continents. Similarly, the deep web makes about 96% percent of the internet and requires special browsers to surf it. However, TOR (The Onion Router) Browser is famous for being the friendliest among all the other browser. Nevertheless, I2P and Freenet are used 1 as alternative solutions . As a matter of fact, the deep web is considered legal to access in most parts of the world. Therefore, why should this be troubling for a society as the Emiratis? Well, by accessing the deep web, the internet surfer has theability to access all the blocked contentsby anylocalorfederal governmentin the world. Furthermore, blocked internet websites in UAE are not considered a part of the deep web. Also, to put it in simpler form, the use of VPN (Virtual Private Network) is not needed while using the browser. However, that does not guarantee total anonymity if anonymity was not the main concern.

Furthermore, the UAE went through a tedious process to protect its internet users from accessing any websites that provided VPN services. Some users go through a counter tedious process to obtain any quality of VPN. By contrary, it only takes a google search of “TOR Browser” to have the ability to access the deep web.By then, the user has the ability to go through sites that offer drugs, child pornography, terrorism, cannibalism, live torturing, and hiring hit men for other illegal crimes. Sadly, these are not even a small percentage of what exists in the deep web. For example, there is a website that is considered as a cyber album of pictures by mothers grieving and holding their dead fetuses. As disgusting as it may seem, the contents become intolerable with more surfing through the deep web pages.

Additionally, by knowing that it’s harder to track and locate through the deep web, some terrorist organizations use anonymous email services provided by countless websites. As the network configuration is done by using a proxy, anonymity can be guaranteed for short periods of time. Therefore, some government took procedures to counteract these illegal actions. Furthermore, after the Arab Spring started through social media, online activists used the deep web to communicate, which ignited another period of Arab Winter. Regardless of how conservative the law may be, countries of limited internet surfing use the deep web to communicate with other journalists to trade information.

On the other hand, many sexual offenders and children pedophiles provide services of child pornography. In fact, many deep websites provide videos and pictures of assault and 2 humiliation of toddlers to children who are still under the age of 13 . Similarly, there are websites that provide live gambling services on estimating a time of death of tortured people. 3 Moreover, on the cybersecurity perspective, Malware are easy to slip through the deep web surfer’scomputer. As a result, all the data stored on the computer can be taken 1 http://bgr.com/2014/01/20/how-to-access-tor-silk-road-deep-web/ 2 http://www.theage.com.au/world/peter-gerard-scully-made-philippines-children-dig-own-grave-victims- 20150301-13rtke.html 3 http://thoughtcatalog.com/michael-koh/2014/03/14-terrible-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-deep-web/

away easily. Consequently, there are deep websites that provide service of exchange for private pictures, documents, and national and local IDs. Furthermore, there can be an uncertain amount of methods of how cyberattacks came to be in UAE (exp. CryptoLocker ransomware), however, if the authority delays its procedure, then it will come as a national security risk. On the other hand, in risk management strategy, the levels of ARTA (Avoid, Reduce, Transfer, and Accept) are taught to most managers and engineers. However, Sun Tzu teaches us, through the Art of War, to use an element as to establish victory and control.

Therefore, in the internet, it is easier to imagine the users as surfers. If the waves were disrupted (compromised network), then the users will choose to become divers. Consequently and eventually, the user will have a better understanding of the deep web then the local service provider. On the other hand, if there was a government institution or a sector of an institution that can study, explore, and defy the users of deep web, then it can be considered as a counteract to any attack.

In conclusion, if authorities would choose to avoid certain aspects of the deep web, then many procedures should be taken firmly. First, block websites that provide deep web 45 browsers. Second, since bitcoin is the currency of the internet and the deep web , then restricting Bitcointransactions within the country’s banks will force users to identify themselves if other methods were used. Third, the government authorities should make the E- 6 Dirham as safe as it can be . Lastly, to hold the Currency exchange between E-dirham and Bitcoin if there was ever a vision for it.

4 http://bitcoinist.net/one-bitcoin-worth-51-million-hacked-imesh-accounts/ 5 http://bitcoinist.net/hacker-sells-twitter-data-dump-on-deep-web-for-10-bitcoin/ 6 https://www.edirhamg2.ae/