key: cord-0806294-tvqk6y4l authors: Ferrara, Pietro; Franceschini, Giulia; Corsello, Giovanni; Mestrovic, Julije; Giardino, Ida; Vural, Mehmet; Pop, Tudor Lucian; Namazova-Baranova, Leyla; Pettoello-Mantovani, Massimo title: The Dark Side of the Web—A Risk for Children and Adolescents Challenged by Isolation during the COVID-19 Pandemic date: 2020-10-10 journal: J Pediatr DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2020.10.008 sha: 90a3f9e09348dbc81a3e1731a10bf1dcb05af502 doc_id: 806294 cord_uid: tvqk6y4l nan In response to the global pandemic of COVID-19, many countries around the world adopted social isolation measures to contain the spread of the virus 1 . For children and adolescents, limitations in face-to-face activities and interactions with their traditional peer groups has been a frustrating experience. Following disease containment measures, which included school closures, social distancing, and home quarantine, children and adolescents faced a prolonged state of physical isolation from their peers, teachers, extended family, and community networks that affects their emotional and behavioral health 2 . Parents and pediatricians are reporting signs of mental distress in children of all ages within the context of the pandemic 3 . In several cases this unexpected social isolation has paradoxically improved the psycho-social state of fearful children, and the mental health of those who have been victims of bullying 4 . School function improved with distance learning and socialization may have increased using virtual connections to create a larger social group 5 . However, children and adolescents who experience a prolonged state of physical isolation may look for alternative, somehow attractive or unconventional forms of socialization, available in the web world. Children may be exposed to the risks of unsupervised cyberspace exploration beyond the open web, which may lead them to areas that are usually not available to visitors. They may pass the gates of the "open" and "deep web" sections and enter into the dangerous "dark web" zones, which predominantly host unethical and criminal activities. In those shadowy corners of the worldwide web, there exist dangers ranging from identity theft and drug trade to suicide chat-rooms and child pornography 6 . This commentary, authored by EPA-UNEPSA members of the working group on social pediatrics, briefly discusses the features of the dark web and its implications for children and adolescents. Our aim is to raise awareness of pediatricians and families on the growing risk of child exploitation through the web, at a time when vulnerable young people face home lockdowns with potential abusers intruding on their privacy. The open or "surface web" is the portion of the world wide web (www.) that is readily accessible to the public and searchable with conventional web search engines that includes the network of indexed websites. The surface web, is estimated to include between 1-5% of the entire web 7 and the standard search engines are able to reach ~ 0.03% of the information that is available, while much of the rest remains submerged in areas of the web not openly accessible 8 . These areas are identified as Deep Web and Dark Web, terms that are frequently abused and confused and usually associated with criminal activities. The term Deep Web describes the series of largely legitimate contents present on the web, which are not indexed by common search engines and includes pages on the internet that cannot be found by performing a search using the available internet platforms (Google, Yahoo, Bing). Users need to know the exact address of the site in order to gain access. Another way to access a deep web site is to click on a link available after entering the deep web or by using an access code. This is true of private sections developed by public and private organizations, including banks, government, and academic institutions, which typically grant their members access to confidential databases, archives, or professional private chats. The term Dark Web indicates the set of publicly accessible contents that are hosted on websites whose IP address is hidden, but can be accessed by using dedicated software, as long as they know the address (Table I ; available at www.jpeds.com). Elements belonging to the Dark Web are private content exchanged between users within closed computer networks, which are internal structures defined as darknets. Although not all content in the Dark Web is illegal, over 60% of the sites on the dark web host illicit material 9 . The most popular way to access the dark web is via dedicated browsers, such as The Onion Router, which has over 2.5 million users each day 10 . Other browsers enabling access to the dark web exist, such as I2P and Tails 11 . The Onion Router, launched in 2002, uses the principle of 'onion routing', developed at the United States Naval Research Laboratory in the 1990s 12 , in which the user data is first encrypted and then transferred through different relays present in the network. Thus, it creates multi-layered encryption (like layers of an onion) and keeps the identity of the user safe. A single encryption layer is decrypted at each successive The Onion Router relay, and the remaining data are forwarded to any random relay until it reaches its destination server. Therefore, the last Onion Router node-exit relay appears to the destination server as the origin of the data, making it difficult to trace the identity of the user or the server by any surveillance system. It is technically not illegal to access the dark web through The Onion Router browser. The US government and military use these types of shielded communication to share information and protect their agents and informants. It is also perceived as a right to privacy and encryption, as well as a safe space for journalists and whistleblowers. However, the danger of the dark web comes when users are technically naive and/or not careful with the contents. Children and adolescents in particular may be unprepared and easily fall victim to hackers, give away personal information without intention, or slip into illegal activity. There is also the potential for psychological damage as the large number of illegal activities available in the dark web include a considerable amount of disturbing material 13 . During the months of the Covid-19 pandemic, education and other important socializing activities for children and adolescents have been productively supported by the use of the web. However, at the same time this has exposed them to clandestine groups, such as pedophile and other illegal networks, that have seen the increased use of the web as an opportunity to intensify their activities to approach unsupervised minors. Increased risks for children and adolescents reaching the dark web during the Covid-19 pandemic are multiple 14 and include online grooming for various purposes, introduction to suicide, and child pornography 15 . Child pornographic content is shared among offenders who redistribute them online through the dark web, causing lifelong harm to the victims 15 . Staying confined as a family should be perceived as an important opportunity for parents to turn a negative occurrence into a positive experience 16 . This offers an opportunity for parents and families to interact constructively with their children, stay positive, manage stress, and support them in The United States Department of Justice. Criminal Division. 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