FIA sets up unit to investigate crimes linked to the dark web

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has established a dedicated unit to investigate and pursue criminals operating on the dark web, officials said on Saturday, as the agency moves to counter threats emerging from encrypted online platforms.

The unit has been set up at the National Command and Control Centre (NC3) at FIA headquarters and will use modern technology to identify suspects, trace suspicious transactions commonly carried out through cryptocurrency, and support enforcement action, FIA Director General Dr Usman Anwar told Dawn.

Dr Anwar said the unit will concentrate on tracking criminal networks involved in preparing illegal documents that facilitate human trafficking and migrant smuggling, along with other offences that fall within the FIA’s mandate. He said the dark web investigation unit would work alongside the cryptocurrency investigation unit under the same roof, using blockchain forensic tools to link pseudonymous digital addresses to real-world identities. He added that open-source intelligence would also be used to improve investigations and gather documentary evidence.

Attributing the approach to the agency’s new capabilities, Dr Anwar said the FIA intended to examine digital identities across online marketplaces, forums and sites in order to build profiles of suspected offenders and support prosecution.

“We will leverage advanced tools and methodologies to meticulously investigate individuals on the dark web, cross-referencing aliases, usernames, and pseudonyms across marketplaces, forums and sites,” the FIA DG said.

Officials said the dark web consists of websites that are not indexed by search engines and are generally encrypted, making them accessible only through specialised browsers. Because it is designed to conceal identities, it can be used by criminals for activities including contract killings, drug and weapons trafficking, the sale of stolen classified data and credentials, terrorism, piracy, malware, and hacking tools.

Investigations and enforcement involving dark web businesses are particularly difficult because such activity is decentralised and often transnational. Officials said responding effectively requires both technological capability and stronger international cooperation.

How FIA describes the internet’s layers

NC3 Director Dr Athar Waheed said the internet is often understood in three layers: the surface web, the deep web and the dark web, each differing in visibility, access and intended use.

He said the surface web includes publicly accessible websites indexed by standard search engines such as Google, including news sites, blogs, online stores and social media platforms. These pages can be accessed with a regular browser and internet connection.

Dr Waheed said the deep web covers online content that is not indexed by search engines, such as databases, academic journals behind paywalls, webmail accounts, online banking services and intranet systems. He said such resources are generally legitimate but require credentials, subscriptions or specific queries.

Describing the dark web as a subset of the deep web, he said it is intentionally hidden and can only be reached through specialised anonymity-preserving software such as Tor, or The Onion Router. He explained that Tor is an open-source overlay network run through more than 7,000 volunteer-operated relays worldwide, with millions of users routing traffic through random paths to enable anonymous communication. Unlike the broader deep web, he said, the dark web includes hidden services that use encryption and obscure IP addresses to protect identities, and accessing it requires knowledge of specific tools and protocols.