IP Protection in the darknet
With globaleyez’s darknet monitoring solution you are now able to detect and fight against IP infringements on darknet marketplaces.
IP issues in the darknet
Unlike the surface web, the darknet is not accessible via search engines and is only reachable via special browsers that use Tor to protect anonymity. If you want to find a website you have to be specifically looking for it. Yet there are also marketplace structures and sales platforms on the darknet.
While some content is benign in the darknet, most is linked to criminal activities like drugs, weapons, hacking services and also IP infringements. Fraudsters operate on both sides of the web, with the dark web offering more discreet advertising and a lower risk of detection.
IP infringements in the dark web remain undetected for much longer, due to less monitoring and constant change. Domains are regularly seized by the authorities, deleted or moved to another address for fear of being compromised.
For more details contact our experts
Experts should monitor the dark web
As mentioned above, the darknet can only be accessed via special browsers. However, there are also numerous other pitfalls like viruses or Trojans, that users need to be aware of. We therefore advise inexperienced users not to research the dark web on their own, without prior training.
In addition, the structure of the dark web requires different monitoring approaches than we are used to and finding the actual perpetrators is not as easy as on the surface web. We can’t rely on our trusted software tools to crawl the marketplaces; instead, we have to manually check them. You need to be familiar with the dark web and its special features and be able to evaluate them correctly. All this requires practice, know-how and certain tools, which we brand protection experts have and are glad to use for you.
Do you need darknet monitoring? Contact our experts
Our solution for your brand
We have adapted our brand protection solutions to the needs of IP protection in the darknet and offer flexible services, including:
1. Manual monitoring
The search for IP infringements on the dark web starts with a manual search by our experts on the identified marketplaces.
As the conditions on the platforms differ greatly and are changing over time, we have to adapt our monitoring methods to them on each occasion. Monitoring can therefore be either keyword-based or involve wide-ranging searches within the marketplaces.
2. Information gathering and test purchase
The information given about listings on dark web marketplaces varies and is usually quite meagre. Some platforms just list usernames while others are more professionally structured and offer sales figures, contact info, and even ratings by customers
To learn as much as possible, we access the seller’s store and see if they have any other listings. Depending on the actual product (of course, we don’t buy illegal or controlled substances and prohibited items), we can conduct a test purchase.
3. Uncovering connections between surface and dark web
Once a target in the dark web has been identified, we try to uncover as many connections as possible between the seller and the surface web.
Some sellers trade on both sides of the web, with the darknet usually providing significantly less information about the seller or the origin of the offered products that we can collect and document as evidence.
4. Enforcement
We can enforce your rights and demand the takedown of infringing listings on the darknet, provided the platform lists their contact information.
However, given the nature of the darknet, this task is understandably more difficult than on the surface web.
Contact us
We look forward to finding a suitable solution for your challenges together with you.