Global Majority Backs a Ban on 'DarkNet,' Poll Says Jakarta Globe
go to original March 29, 2016

There’s a parallel Internet you may not have run across yet - accessed by a special browser and home to a freewheeling collection of sites for everything from anonymous activism to illicit activities. Jamie Bartlett reports from the dark net. (TEDTalks)

Seven in 10 people say the "dark net" - an anonymous online home to both criminals and activists fearful of government surveillance - should be shut down, according to a global Ipsos poll.

The findings, from a poll of at least 1,000 people in each of 24 countries, come as policymakers and technology companies argue over whether digital privacy should be curbed to help regulators and law enforcement more easily thwart hackers and other digital threats.

...The Ipsos poll was commissioned the Waterloo, Ontario-based Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI). The think tank is part of a commission seeking to shape Internet governance.

The question asked in the poll pointed out the dark net's anonymity can protect journalists, human rights activists, dissidents and whistleblowers, but also hide child abuse networks and illegal marketplaces selling weapons and narcotics.

The portion of respondents who either strongly agreed or somewhat agreed it should be shuttered ranged between 61 percent and 85 percent, with support strongest in Indonesia, India, Egypt and Mexico and weakest in Sweden, South Korea and Kenya.

..Only 38 percent of all respondents said they trust that their online activities are not monitored.

Read the rest at Jakarta Globe

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