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The Gov't develops a search engine for the dark web

60 Minutes

The U.S. Government is perfecting a new search engine that will uncover illegal activity, not found by commercial search engines. The search engine is called Memexand DARPA is developing it.

Wired.com reports 17 different contractor teams are working with DARPA

Dr. Chris White, program manager for Memex, said "The main issue we're trying to address is the one-size-fits-all approach to the Internet where (search engine results) based on consumer advertising and ranking."

Typically these hidden websites are accessible only through the TOR browser where you have to know the site's specific address to find it.

Dr. Richard Harknett, UC professor of political science and head of the department with a focus on cyber-security, points out DARPA will also develop a way to search and find information that is not illegal. He says current search engines are only pulling up 5% of the web.

Ann Thompson has decades of journalism experience in the Greater Cincinnati market and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her reporting.