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ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has set up a dedicated dark web investigation unit to track and prosecute criminals operating in the shadowy realm, to effectively counter threats to the country’s interests emanating from encrypted online platforms, officials said on Saturday.
Housed in the state-of-the-art National Command and Control Centre (NC3) at FIA headquarters, the unit will use modern technology to overcome obfuscation techniques employed by criminals to identify them, track dubious transactions usually carried out through cryptocurrency, and execute enforcement actions, FIA Director General Dr Usman Anwar told Dawn.
He said the unit will focus on tracing criminal networks involved in creating illegal documents that facilitate human trafficking and illegal migrant smuggling and other similar subjects within the ambit of the FIA.
The dark web refers to websites that are not indexed by search engines, and are usually encrypted, only accessible through specialised browsers. It can be an effective cloak for criminals because it leverages cutting-edge technologies to hide their identity.
