ISLAMABAD — The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has established a dedicated dark‑web investigation unit to locate and prosecute criminals operating in hidden online spaces, thereby safeguarding national interests against threats from encrypted platforms, officials announced on Saturday.
Based at the state‑of‑the‑art National Command and Control Centre (NC3) within FIA’s headquarters, the unit will employ advanced technology to counter criminal obfuscation, monitor suspicious cryptocurrency transactions, and carry out enforcement actions, FIA Director General Dr. Usman Anwar told Dawn.
He noted that the unit will concentrate on dismantling criminal networks that produce fraudulent documents enabling human trafficking and illicit migrant smuggling, among other related offenses under FIA’s jurisdiction.
The dark web comprises websites that are not indexed by conventional search engines and are typically encrypted, requiring specialized browsers for access. This environment provides criminals with a powerful veil, leveraging cutting‑edge technologies to conceal their identities.
Exploiting its decentralized and anonymous nature, criminals engage in a wide range of illicit activities — including hiring assassins, trafficking drugs and weapons, selling stolen data and credentials, supporting terrorism, piracy, distributing malware, and providing hacking tools.
There is no straightforward methodology for investigating or enforcing actions against entities operating on the dark web. These operations are highly decentralized, and the illicit activities they support are often transnational. Consequently, authorities must counter technology with technology and foster stronger international collaboration.
DG Anwar explained that, working alongside the cryptocurrency investigation unit within the same facility, the dark‑web unit will leverage blockchain forensic capabilities to link pseudonymous addresses to real‑world identities using open‑source intelligence (OSINT), thereby enhancing investigative outcomes with documentary evidence.
‘We will employ advanced tools and methodologies to thoroughly investigate individuals on the dark web, cross‑referencing aliases, usernames, and pseudonyms across marketplaces, forums, and sites,’ the FIA DG said.
He added that this process will enable the creation of detailed profiles of criminal actors, facilitating their prosecution.
FIA’s NC3 Director Dr. Athar Waheed explained that the internet is commonly divided into three layers — surface, deep, and dark — each differing in visibility, accessibility, and intended purpose.
The surface web comprises publicly accessible websites indexed by standard search engines such as Google. It includes news portals, blogs, online stores, and social media platforms, which anyone can access with a standard browser and internet connection.
The deep web encompasses all web content not indexed by search engines, including databases, pay‑walled academic journals, webmail services, online banking, and intranet systems. Although invisible to search engines, these resources are generally legitimate and require credentials, subscriptions, or specific queries for access.
The dark web is a subset of the deep web that is intentionally hidden and can be accessed only through specialized anonymity‑preserving software, such as Tor (The Onion Router).
The NC3 director noted that Tor is an open‑source overlay network built on free software operated by more than 7,000 volunteer‑run relays worldwide, with millions of users routing traffic through random paths to enable anonymous communication.
Unlike the deep web, which primarily comprises private but conventional content, the dark web includes hidden services that employ encryption and obscure IP addresses to protect identities, requiring specific tools and protocols for access.
