Despite efforts by governments and law enforcement agencies to curb the spread of obscene material on the internet, criminals have used technology to create a parallel and secret world. This is known as underground networks or the digital underworld. These networks are so secure and complex that reaching them and taking action is extremely difficult. A detailed analysis of the various layers of these networks is as follows.
15.1 Parallel and Secret World
The part of the internet visible through Google or other search engines is merely the tip of the iceberg. Beneath it lies a vast and dark world where illegal trade and distribution of indecent material take place. This is called underground networks. In these networks, encrypted apps are used for communication, the dark web for anonymity, and digital currencies for financial transactions. This world is so advanced that ordinary laws and technical bans prove ineffective there. Due to these underground networks, the spread of indecent material is no longer limited to one country but has become global. Criminals hide their identities while exploiting victims worldwide and running a black market for indecent content. This system has created a major challenge to societal safety.[1]
15.2 Underworld of Messaging Apps: Channels Dedicated to Leaked Content
In today’s era, the use of messaging apps like Telegram, WhatsApp, and Discord has increased significantly. Apps like Telegram have become a paradise for criminals because users can hide their identity and create groups or channels with thousands of members. In such channels, private photos, videos leaked without consent, and extremely perverted indecent material are shared on a large scale. Access to these channels is only through specific links, keeping them hidden from public view.
In the underworld of these messaging apps, content is categorized. There are not only free content but also premium channels where payment is required for entry. On such channels, photos stolen from women’s social media profiles are often used to defame them. This network spreads so rapidly that even if one channel is banned, a new one is created within minutes, and thousands of members migrate there. As a result, the victim’s private information continues to circulate on the internet forever, becoming lifelong mental torment for them.
15.3 Dark Web: Where the Most Illegal Material Resides
The dark web is a part of the internet that cannot be accessed through ordinary browsers. Special software like Tor is needed to reach it. Since complete anonymity is possible on the dark web, an extremely terrifying and illegal market for indecent material thrives there. This primarily includes child sexual exploitation, visuals obtained through human trafficking, and highly violent material. The world’s largest criminal rackets control their operations from the dark web.
Stopping this obscenity market on the dark web is a major challenge for police, as tracing server addresses (IP addresses) there is impossible. Criminals communicate with each other in chat rooms there and exchange new techniques. This world is beyond any legal constraints. Not only indecent material but also trade in drugs and weapons occurs there. The dark web is the core of the indecent material network, from where the raw material, illegally and secretly created content, for this industry is distributed worldwide.
15.4 Cryptocurrency: The Currency of Illegal Content Trade
In the underground trade of indecent material, cryptocurrency, especially Bitcoin or Monero, is used for financial transactions. Tracing transactions is easy in traditional banking systems, but in cryptocurrency, it is difficult to know who sent money and to whom. This provides a shield of security to both customers and sellers of indecent material. From large adult websites to Telegram channels, payments are accepted via cryptocurrency everywhere.[2]
Criminal organizations use this digital currency for money laundering. When a customer uses cryptocurrency for premium adult content, the transaction remains secret. This reduces criminals’ fear of getting caught in the police net. Due to this currency, the industry is no longer confined to any country’s borders. It has become a preferred and secure medium for international human trafficking and buying-selling of indecent material. Until strict restrictions are imposed on digital currency transactions, curbing this underground trade is nearly impossible.
15.5 VPNs and Proxies: How Users and Criminals Bypass Bans
When a government bans an adult website, it is blocked at the local ISP level. However, using VPN (Virtual Private Network) and proxy servers, this ban can be easily bypassed. VPN changes the user’s location, making it appear as if they are accessing the internet from another country where the website is not blocked. As a result, addicts of indecent material continue viewing such websites despite government bans.
Criminals also use VPNs to erase their digital footprints. This constantly changes their IP address, making it difficult to trace their original location.[3] Many free and paid VPNs are available in the market, allowing the use and spread of indecent material without hindrance. Due to such technology, merely banning websites has made stopping obscenity difficult. This misuse of technology creates major obstacles in law enforcement and makes the indecent material network more secure.
15.6 Hydra Effect: Why Banned Accounts Reappear Instantly
In Greek mythology, when one head of the monster Hydra was cut off, two new heads would grow in its place. The same ‘Hydra Effect’ applies to the world of indecent material. When police or social media platforms ban an indecent channel, website, or account, many new ones immediately emerge in its place. The main reason is that these criminals already have backup data and a large number of members. Through one link, all these members gather on the new platform in no time.
In this system, there is no single main leader; the network is decentralized. As a result, breaking the chain at one place does not destroy the entire web. Websites distributing indecent material constantly change their domain names (URLs), making permanent blocking difficult. Due to this Hydra Effect, law enforcement agencies constantly face new challenges. This has become an endless digital battle, where criminals always try to stay one step ahead of the law using technology.
For this, it is necessary that rules be changed, so that heavy financial penalties are imposed and recovered from those running such websites. Fines of 2000 and 5000 rupees are viewed with contempt and are indeed a very small amount—the infrastructural expenses that police, government, and courts incur until the full case is decided are not even covered. These people pay the fine and are free to do the same work again. Therefore, it is necessary to make efforts to catch site owners in the grip of the law, and creators who earn lakhs of rupees from this should also face such heavy fines that their entire property is seized; otherwise, this cannot be stopped.
[1] Stefan Scharnowski, “Darkweb traffic, privacy coins, and crypto-currency trading activity”, Finance Research Letters 67 (2024) 105875
[2] Industry Trends, “The Dark Side of Cryptocurrency: How Digital Assets Fuel Money Laundering and Illicit Trades”, Analytical Insight, 19.3.2025, available at: https://www.analyticsinsight.net/white-papers/the-dark-side-of-cryptocurrency-how-digital-assets-fuel-money-laundering-and-illicit-trades, last visited on 15.12.2025
[3] “Unmasking the Mask: How Criminals’ Use of VPNs Led to Their Own Capture”, Crime Solver Central, 8.4.2025, available at: https://crimesolverscentral.com/blog/post?name=unmasking-the-mask-how-criminals-use-of-vpns-32141, last visited on 15.12.2025
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