For those people who assumed the German government would halt its darknet crackdown in the future, a harsh reality is about to set in. Justice Minister Thomas Kutschaty plans to introduce stricter laws related to deep web activity. Trading prohibited goods and services on the Internet should be made illegal by law, in his opinion. A bold statement, but it is doubtful such a law will ever be introduced.
Cracking Down On The Deep Web Does Not Require Regulation
Up until this point, German law enforcement agencies have been making hundreds of deep web arrests throughout the year. Even though buying and selling illegal goods on the darknet is not prohibited by law, it is a criminal offense. It also appears the law enforcement agencies are doing just fine without additional legislation. But not everyone sees it that way, for some reason.
Thomas Kutschaty, a Social Democratic Party Justice Minister, has a bold plan to crack down further on darknet activity. He wants to create a law which makes deep web activity illegal. A rather strange decision, considering buying or selling drugs, weapons, or stolen data online is already a criminal offense. Such a new law would bring nothing new to the table, even though it could make legal proceedings against criminals slightly easier.
That being said, Kutschaty feels such a law would “make it easier to bust deep web criminals”. Even though it is rather difficult to find out the real identity of online criminals, a new law would not make the job any easier by default. Moreover, not all of the activity taking place on the darknet is illegal. Some users are selling legitimate goods and services there. Such a law would make those sales illegal by definition, attempting to crack down on the free market system.
Germany is not the only country in the world cracking down on darknet activity these days. A recent international operation identified several thousand deep web users all over the world, and investigations have been opened by agencies in nearly every case. Most of these investigations relate to weapons or drug sales on the darknet, which remain two of the most common practices.
It is understandable government officials want to enforce stricter rules on darknet activity. Regulation and legislation may not be the answer, though, as existing laws and bylaws make every single type of illegal online sale punishable by law already. Put resources to use in a positive way, by hiring more staff, and conducting investigations without invading user privacy.
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