(1) Clandestine websites that sell illegal merchandise. Dark websites are accessed by special browsers that hide the identity of their users (see
Tor). Also called the "darknet" and "darknet market" (DNM). See
Silk Road,
Freenet,
anonymous Web surfing and
deep Web.
(2) A peer-to-peer file sharing network that is used to illegally distribute music, videos and other copyrighted material. Before the Internet, the equivalent distribution used floppy disks and tape cartridges. Today, the Internet enables copyrighted material to be sent to millions of people within minutes. See
peer-to-peer network.