I spent a day on the dark web - these are the terrifying things I saw
When you hear the term 'dark web,' a hacker in a hoodie, digital drug deals and hitmen for hire are probably what come to mind.
Usually, our imaginations cook up scenarios that are a lot more dramatic than reality. But when it comes to this hidden corner of the internet that can only be reached using special software, it's pretty spot on.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
29 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Meta to boost profits by rolling out advertisements on WhatsApp... less than two years after denying it
WhatsApp's users are threatening to delete the app following the announcement it is introducing advertising. The free messaging app, owned by Mark Zuckerberg 's firm Meta, will roll out ads to all its users 'slowly over the next several months', regardless of what country they're in. However, the plan has gone down badly with people on social media, being described as 'dumb' and the suggestion that it's time to buy an old-school Nokia cell. Comments from furious users included 'dumbest idea ever'; 'time to switch to Telegram'; 'Bye bye Meta, may you loose every Whatsapp user you had in the past and get a very hard negative hit in your revenues.' While another said: 'WhatsApp is bringing ads. Its time to get back to Nokia 3310.' Meta revealed the controversial update in a blog post on its website, but said that advs will not 'interrupt your chats', nor will it be binning end-to-end encryption. For now, the ads will only appear in WhatsApp Status - the feature released in 2017 that lets users share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. But James Bore, tech expert at consultancy Bores Group, thinks it's a matter of time before ads come to the rest of WhatsApp. 'WhatsApp is owned by the same company as Facebook,' he told MailOnline. 'Their history shows that they will cram in ever more prevalent and ever more intrusive ads into every aspect of every platform they can, regardless of how it negatively impacts user experience.' WhatsApp Status is found in 'Updates' tab at the bottom of the app, next to the three other tabs - 'Chats', 'Communities' and 'Calls'. Meta says: 'The growing popularity of the Updates tab makes this the right place for these experiences, in a way that doesn't interrupt your chats. 'If you only use WhatsApp to chat with friends and loved ones, there will be no change to your experience at all.' WhatsApp admitted it will take user information such as their country, city and language, plus how they interact with the ads, to show certain ads that they 'might care about'. But it stressed that it will still not able to read your messages - so it will not be sending you targeted ads based on what you send to friends and family. It will also 'never sell or share your phone number to advertisers'. The company added: 'Nothing changes about people's personal chats, which remain end-to-end encrypted and are not used for ads. 'Your personal messages, calls and groups you are in will not be used to determine the ads you may see.' He jokingly added 'Also it looks like you misspelled Brian's name,' referring to Brian Acton, co-founder of Whatsapp' Meta purchased WhatsApp in 2014 , but it has so far resisted using advertising to tap into new revenue steams. As recently as 2023, WhatsApp denied reports it was even considering the idea. 'False. We aren't doing this,' WhatsApp boss Will Cathcart posted not even two years ago on X in response to a report from the Financial Times.
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Stablecoins gain ground with corporates as US legislation takes shape
June 17 (Reuters) - As the U.S. stablecoin bill, known as the GENIUS Act, advances in the Senate, a once-niche corner of the crypto industry is gaining rapid traction among global corporates. Stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency designed to maintain a constant value – typically pegged 1:1 to the U.S. dollar – are widely used by crypto traders to move funds between tokens. Analysts say the bill, if passed, could be a key catalyst for more companies across sectors to adopt stablecoins, as it would provide much-needed regulatory and legislative clarity. Here is an overview of major companies globally that have launched, or are considering launching, their own stablecoins: MAJOR U.S. BANKS: Big U.S. banks are holding internal discussions about expanding into cryptocurrencies as they get stronger endorsements from regulators, but initial steps will be tentative, centering on pilot programs, partnerships or limited crypto trading, Reuters reported in May. Bank of America (BAC.N), opens new tab could launch stablecoins, its CEO Brian Moynihan said earlier this year, while Morgan Stanley (MS.N), opens new tab wants to work with regulators to see how it can be a middleman for crypto-related transactions, CEO Ted Pick said earlier this year. BofA declined to comment, while Morgan Stanley did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. SOCIETE GENERALE ( opens new tab: The French bank said in June it plans to launch a publicly tradable, dollar-backed stablecoin through its digital asset subsidiary. WALMART (WMT.N), opens new tab AND AMAZON (AMZN.O), opens new tab: The U.S. retail giants have recently explored, opens new tab issuing their own stablecoins, the Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month, citing people familiar with the matter. The companies did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. BANCO SANTANDER SA ( opens new tab: The Spanish bank is mulling an expansion in digital assets, including early-stage plans to offer a stablecoin, Bloomberg News reported, opens new tab in May, citing people with knowledge of the matter. The bank did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the matter. WORLD LIBERTY FINANCIAL: U.S. President Donald Trump's World Liberty Financial crypto venture launched a dollar-pegged stablecoin this year, called USD1. The token has a market value of roughly $2.2 billion, according to CoinGecko. PAYPAL (PYPL.O), opens new tab: The payments giant launched a U.S. dollar stablecoin in August 2023, becoming the first major financial technology firm at the time to embrace digital currencies for payments and transfers. CIRCLE INTERNET (CRCL.N), opens new tab: The newly public company launched its flagship USDC stablecoin in 2018. It is now one of the largest stablecoins by market value, with a market cap of $61.5 billion, according to CoinGecko. PAXOS: The crypto-native company issues the Global Dollar stablecoin (USDG) and the Pax Dollar (USDP), both pegged 1:1 to the U.S. dollar. TETHER: The crypto company issues an eponymous stablecoin, which is the world's largest by market value, according to CoinMarketCap. The USDT token, with a market cap of over $155 billion, is pegged to the U.S. dollar.
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
'GTA VI' delay weighs on global videogame market growth, data shows
June 17 (Reuters) - The global videogame market's growth rate is expected to improve marginally in 2025 from the previous year, according to a report from research firm Newzoo, seen exclusively by Reuters on Tuesday. Analysts and industry experts had projected a surge in industry growth this year due to the expected blockbuster launch of Take-Two's (TTWO.O), opens new tab "Grand Theft Auto VI" and new consoles. However, the delay of the long-awaited title to next year and price hikes to videogame hardware, arising from tariffs, have made consumer spending uncertain. The global videogame market is projected to grow 3.4% to $188.9 billion in 2025, compared with last year's growth of 3.2%, according to the report. "This forecast reflects concrete changes, hardware cycles, pricing trends, install base growth, and title pipelines," said Michiel Buijsman, principle analyst at Newzoo. Compounded annually, Newzoo expects the market to grow 3.3% till 2027, compared with its earlier forecast of 3.7%. As "GTA VI" is scheduled to launch in 2026, the industry will most likely see the boost from sales next year along with the release of other premium titles such as Capcom's (9697.T), opens new tab "Resident Evil Requiem." The launch of "GTA VI" on PC is also expected to carry growth through 2027, the report said. Price increases to Microsoft's (MSFT.O), opens new tab Xbox and Sony's (6758.T), opens new tab PlayStation devices have sparked fears of slower hardware sales as consumers globally grapple with market uncertainty, even as Nintendo's (7974.T), opens new tab Switch 2 became the company's fastest-selling console. Xbox also unveiled its own handheld console, the Xbox Ally, earlier this month, developed in partnership with ASUS ( opens new tab and set to launch in holidays 2025.
