Dark web and internet freedom: navigating the duality to facilitate digital democracy

Internet freedom and the dark web are complex concepts riddled with misunderstanding. While the dark web is perceived as a negative space/state, internet freedom is seen as a positive space/state that many Western nations support. However, in practice, these perceptions are incomplete and overlook the close relationship between the tools and infrastructure that facilitate both the dark web and internet freedom. While the term dark web engenders fear and curiosity in the public and policymakers’ minds, the term internet freedom fails to describe the modern internet in a manner for effective governance to protect and empower citizens. Reframing how policymakers and the general public understand these terms will be essential for ensuring that future policies are effective, comprehensive and strive to facilitate digital democracy. This paper represents an extension of knowledge and a first step in technological policymaking by analysing and emphasising the relationship and duality between the dark web and internet freedom and their stakeholders from the cyberinfrastructure perspective. Furthermore, we propose new framing definitions for anonymous technology tools in the interest of facilitating digital democracy. We conclude by suggesting how to effectively integrate the redefined terminology into the framework of policy creation.