---
product_id: 48766133
title: "The Dark Net"
price: "$57"
currency: NZD
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 9
url: https://www.desertcart.nz/products/48766133-the-dark-net
store_origin: NZ
region: New Zealand
---

# The Dark Net

**Price:** $57
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** The Dark Net
- **How much does it cost?** $57 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.nz](https://www.desertcart.nz/products/48766133-the-dark-net)

## Best For

- Customers looking for quality international products

## Why This Product

- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Description

The Dark Net : Bartlett, Jamie: desertcart.co.uk: Books

Review: Exploring the dark side. - As a daily user of computers for over 50 years, starting with mainframe machines by manufacturers who have long since disappeared from the scene, through supercomputers and the earliest personal computers with their unreliable dial-up modems, to modern powerful laptops, I am well aware of many of the developments described in this book. The rapidity and these and the inventiveness of the individuals involved is truly remarkable, but enabling technologies inevitably have downsides, particularly in the realm of the so-called `the dark net'. This term refers to areas of the internet/web that are only accessible via the use of techniques that render the user essentially `invisible' to third parties. How this is achieved, for example by using the Tor browser, is briefly described in simple non-technical terms. There are legitimate uses of these techniques, where secrecy is vital, but they also offer the opportunity for more dubious activities. Thus the dark net contains child pornography sites, sites selling illegal drugs, such as the notorious Silk Road, and others that actively encourage disturbed individuals to engage in destructive behavior, such as self-harming and committing suicide. There is even a site where users can bet on when someone will die, possibly encouraging murder, although there is not, as yet, evidence that this has happened. All these, and many more, are explored in some detail and with authority, clearly coming from extensive research by the author. But the book contains much more than this. There is also an interesting brief history of the early days of the internet, and simple explanations of terms such as `trolling', Bitcoin and many others. Where is all this going? This is the question explored at the end of the book, where the author examines beliefs at both extremes of the spectrum: those of the anarcho-primitivitists and the transhumanists . The former see all technology, particularly computers, as intrinsically bad and advocate returning to small agricultural self-sufficient communities. The inconsistency of this position is revealed when a leading exponent of this belief communicates with the author via the internet! The transhumanists have absolute belief in the power of computers and are convinced that in the future, disease, aging and even death will become irrelevant. A leading exponent is working towards having his brain uploaded as a computer file and wears round his neck at all times detailed instructions about how his body should be frozen and treated in the event of his sudden death. His instructions to his wife are "Pop me in the freezer as soon as possible". Bizarre as these beliefs may seem, perhaps they really are the future; who knows? This is a well-written book that explores a rapidly changing area with great skill and clarity. It is sometimes upsetting and disturbing, and some of the activities described challenge our beliefs about what is `normal' human behavior. The author makes no moral judgments; the book is just as much about the sociology of the dark net and the characters that interact with it, as it is about its technical aspect. It is well worth reading about a subject that will become increasingly important and that will impact more and more on all aspects of our daily lives.
Review: Jamie Bartlett searches below the surface of the Net - Jamie Bartlett explores the dark underbelly of the internet exposing some of the less known and disturbing things you can find if you care to look. I find this an extremely easy to read and interesting book. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is that nowadays technology moves at such a pace that I feel that things have probably moved on since this was published but it shouldn't detract from the fact that this book teaches about the what is hidden beneath the surface of the internet. Bartlett goes through things such as trolling, radicalisation/extremism (albeit right wing rather than Islamic), online privacy/secrecy, online child abuse, drugs, web cam pornography, lifestyle forums (pro anorexia/suicide) and the debate of whether technology is good or bad. He talks to those involved and so gives the reader a better insight into the how and why people got involved rather than just a list of facts which makes the book far more enjoyable and thought provoking. If, like me, you basically use the internet to browse the football scores, send an email, check Sky Sports and BBC websites and buy a book on desertcart, this book will give you an insight into some of the less familiar and darker sides of the internet.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| ASIN  | 0099592029 |
| Best Sellers Rank | 77,361 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 68 in E-Business 920 in Computing & Internet 9,956 in Social Sciences (Books) |
| Customer reviews | 4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars (1,490) |
| Dimensions  | 12.9 x 2 x 19.8 cm |
| ISBN-10  | 9780099592020 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0099592020 |
| Item weight  | 224 g |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 320 pages |
| Publication date  | 12 Mar. 2015 |
| Publisher  | Windmill Books |

## Images

![The Dark Net - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71XMu4ynpuL.jpg)
![The Dark Net - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91wRNIyw61L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Exploring the dark side.
*by B***N on 6 September 2014*

As a daily user of computers for over 50 years, starting with mainframe machines by manufacturers who have long since disappeared from the scene, through supercomputers and the earliest personal computers with their unreliable dial-up modems, to modern powerful laptops, I am well aware of many of the developments described in this book. The rapidity and these and the inventiveness of the individuals involved is truly remarkable, but enabling technologies inevitably have downsides, particularly in the realm of the so-called `the dark net'. This term refers to areas of the internet/web that are only accessible via the use of techniques that render the user essentially `invisible' to third parties. How this is achieved, for example by using the Tor browser, is briefly described in simple non-technical terms. There are legitimate uses of these techniques, where secrecy is vital, but they also offer the opportunity for more dubious activities. Thus the dark net contains child pornography sites, sites selling illegal drugs, such as the notorious Silk Road, and others that actively encourage disturbed individuals to engage in destructive behavior, such as self-harming and committing suicide. There is even a site where users can bet on when someone will die, possibly encouraging murder, although there is not, as yet, evidence that this has happened. All these, and many more, are explored in some detail and with authority, clearly coming from extensive research by the author. But the book contains much more than this. There is also an interesting brief history of the early days of the internet, and simple explanations of terms such as `trolling', Bitcoin and many others. Where is all this going? This is the question explored at the end of the book, where the author examines beliefs at both extremes of the spectrum: those of the anarcho-primitivitists and the transhumanists . The former see all technology, particularly computers, as intrinsically bad and advocate returning to small agricultural self-sufficient communities. The inconsistency of this position is revealed when a leading exponent of this belief communicates with the author via the internet! The transhumanists have absolute belief in the power of computers and are convinced that in the future, disease, aging and even death will become irrelevant. A leading exponent is working towards having his brain uploaded as a computer file and wears round his neck at all times detailed instructions about how his body should be frozen and treated in the event of his sudden death. His instructions to his wife are "Pop me in the freezer as soon as possible". Bizarre as these beliefs may seem, perhaps they really are the future; who knows? This is a well-written book that explores a rapidly changing area with great skill and clarity. It is sometimes upsetting and disturbing, and some of the activities described challenge our beliefs about what is `normal' human behavior. The author makes no moral judgments; the book is just as much about the sociology of the dark net and the characters that interact with it, as it is about its technical aspect. It is well worth reading about a subject that will become increasingly important and that will impact more and more on all aspects of our daily lives.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Jamie Bartlett searches below the surface of the Net
*by A***R on 11 March 2018*

Jamie Bartlett explores the dark underbelly of the internet exposing some of the less known and disturbing things you can find if you care to look. I find this an extremely easy to read and interesting book. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is that nowadays technology moves at such a pace that I feel that things have probably moved on since this was published but it shouldn't detract from the fact that this book teaches about the what is hidden beneath the surface of the internet. Bartlett goes through things such as trolling, radicalisation/extremism (albeit right wing rather than Islamic), online privacy/secrecy, online child abuse, drugs, web cam pornography, lifestyle forums (pro anorexia/suicide) and the debate of whether technology is good or bad. He talks to those involved and so gives the reader a better insight into the how and why people got involved rather than just a list of facts which makes the book far more enjoyable and thought provoking. If, like me, you basically use the internet to browse the football scores, send an email, check Sky Sports and BBC websites and buy a book on Amazon, this book will give you an insight into some of the less familiar and darker sides of the internet.

### ⭐⭐⭐ Reaches parts of the web other browsers don't (...almost)
*by B***N on 21 November 2014*

This is a somewhat sensationalised but very readable account of the parts of the Internet you might not ever go (or, indeed, ever realise existed) - however, Bartlett doesn't stay too long in 'Dark Net' territory. I found the first few chapters the most interesting: a look at the development of the 'net' as an academic/military tool in the 70s and its almost immediate descent into trolling and abuse. From there there's a look at 4Chan and the Anonymous cultures it's given rise to. Bitcoin and Silk Road also feature in the first half of the book. Around half the book comprises journalistic accounts of characters Bartlett's encountered along the way and who illustrate the seedier side of the surface web: extremist politics, child abuse, web-camming and self-harm instigators. Bartlett's conclusion, that there's a 'dystopian nightmare' under the surface of the web, seems to have been the driving definition of this book - it's not always specifically about the culture, politics and history of hidden browsing and Bitcoin, but internet phenomena that in different ways are 'dark', and why human nature is so drawn to them. When Bartlett writes about Dark Net proper it raises lots of meaty questions: there's a real grey area about whether crypto anarchists are the good guys or deluded and spiteful; whether governments can ever be trusted with anything; even whether Bartlett's slightly moralising but colourful accounts can be trusted. It's a good but, ultimately, slightly superficial read once it veers away from the premise of the book I'd been expecting.

---

## Why Shop on Desertcart?

- 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016
- 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories
- 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price
- 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members)
- 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection
- ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews

**Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.nz/products/48766133-the-dark-net](https://www.desertcart.nz/products/48766133-the-dark-net)

---

*Product available on Desertcart New Zealand*
*Store origin: NZ*
*Last updated: 2026-03-16*