BRINGING LIGHT INTO THE DARK: EXPLORING THE PARTICULARITIES OF POLITICAL DISCUSSIONS ON THE DARK WEB

The dark web constitutes an understudied yet critical space for political discourse, distinct from the clear web due to its anonymity and decentralized structure. Considering the limited knowledge about the extent and nature of political content in this hidden online environment, this study addresses this gap by collecting a dataset of 6,403 websites hosted on the dark web and identifying those where political discussions occur. We show that political content constitutes a minor role on the dark web, primarily concentrated on a few decentralized platforms. Using extended narrative analysis, we uncover that issues discussed are often related to contemporary political conflicts, with a significant share diverging into controversial or harmful directions. Our study contributes to understanding the dark web’s role in political engagement and offers insights for policymakers and civil society on navigating its challenges and opportunities.