Dark web advertising: the dark magic system on Tor hidden service search engines

Abstract

Drawing on Raymond William’s concept of the ‘magic system,’ this article argues that advertising on the Dark Web is a ‘dark magic system’. The article first defines ‘Dark Web’ and then analyzes over 300 banner advertisements appearing on Tor onion service search engines. The advertisements are categorized into navigation, individual vendors, services, and markets. Next, the article traces the associations the advertisements make between advertised objects and values. The predominant values the advertisements invoke include navigation, OPSEC politics, and a justification to exploit the openness of others. The article then traces the limits of the dark magic system, including the system’s inability to offer metrics, the problems of ‘onion cloners,’ and the constant threat of scams. The article concludes with an argument that the dark magic system is incapable of addressing the sort of anonymized political communication the Dark Web might afford.

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