Interconnection between darknets
This research provides a foundational understanding of darknet interconnections for Law Enforcement Agencies and researchers investigating illegal activities.
This paper analyzes the connections between the Tor and i2p darknet networks, creating the first combined dataset of over 49,000 darknet services. The analysis reveals that these networks operate as an interconnected ecosystem with clear paths between them, making it impossible to study one in isolation.
Tor and i2p networks are two of the most popular darknets. Both darknets have become an area of illegal activities highlighting the necessity to study and analyze them to identify and report illegal content to Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs). This paper analyzes the connections between the Tor network and the i2p network. We created the first dataset that combines information from Tor and i2p networks. The dataset contains more than 49k darknet services. The process of building and analyzing the dataset shows that it is not possible to explore one of the networks without considering the other. Both networks work as an ecosystem and there are clear paths between them. Using graph analysis, we also identified the most relevant domains, the prominent types of services in each network, and their relations. Findings are relevant to LEAs and researchers aiming to crawl and investigate i2p and Tor networks.