Thanks, Bookwoman. What a difficult problem when people can't trust 'the police' -- in this case, to eliminate the criminal, while leaving access to dissident groups or individuals seeking protection.

I wouldn't worry about it. If there's a way to unsubscribe or turn off the notifications, that's probably the way to go.

Your info is already out there, a hundred times over. Just turn off the notifications.

Having worked where I did even before computers were wide spread it did not take me long to discover that there is really very little that is private if someone wants to look. The Dark Web is more for passing things that are illegal or at least in my mind should be illegal than using your private information.

Edited to add that in researching genealogy you can find all kinds of personal information available when you have some experience and know where to look.

I am not concerned about my information, but the way that this enables heinous crimes is terrifying.

From when time began criminals used whatever means was available to enable their activities. That video made me laugh. So much misinformation and fear mongering. CNBC should stick to reporting news.

So much misinformation

My thread was written to get information. Watchme, how is it you know the information in the video about the dark web is false, and where have you gotten better information that I can go check out? It seems to me that criminals definitely use the internet to foster crime?

Lucille, criminals and other bad actors also use telephones. These are means of communication, nothing more, and shouldn't affect your own use of these things.

What little I know of this, I would agree with watchme that this CNBC snippet, like so many media stories, is dramatic but not necessarily well informed or fully informed. Not out of bias - the only fake news that exists is on Fox News - but rather out of ineptness. Media news is entertainment first and foremost.

I dumped Norton after several years because they were constantly bombarding me with those dire warnings to buy extra protection. I'm not very tech savvy so it really stressed me. I started using Avast free virus protection and they did the same thing. Constantly. So since my other one-year-old laptop had a free year's subscription to Mcafee and it was due to run out this month I was debating what to do. I happened to look on Amazon and lo and behold, I could get a year's subscription for $80 less than what was offered for a renewal and I grabbed it. The price offered covered multiple devices. So now I've dumped Avast on this laptop because of the constant nagging and loaded Mcafee on it. We'll see if Mcafee does the same thing. I don't use my computers outside of the home for anything, I also don't have a smartphone so I've been told that this stuff for dark web protection is not necessary.

I did not have to watch it to know that it is hype to improve ratings. Things similar to the dark web have been around since the Greek and Roman days. Back then the dealings may have been via a whisper where the whispers are now on the net but crime of all sorts has been going on for centuries.

I have ESET security software, have had it for years and have never gotten dire warnings, or any other sort of upsell. I recommend them highly.

Ritaweeda thank you, I went ahead and unsubscribed from their emails.

I'm reasonably tech savvy for a non engineer and I'm a longtime satisfied Norton user. I get no ads or unwanted notifications from Norton at all, never have.

For any of you, if you find yourself getting unwanted marketing or ad emails from legit businesses, you will almost always find an "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of messages to take yourself off of their mailing list. It takes but a few seconds to keep your inbox neat and clean and to stop the annoying "new mail" notifications on your smartphone for messages you don't want to get in the first place.

Encryption and the right to privacy are not crimes. That is all the so called "Dark Web" is.

What is "criminal" is all the money making schemes and products out there being pushed to protect gullible people from this imaginary threat.

With most fee based security software you can opt-out of survey, monitoring, and/or promotions. In McAfee it's "Informational Alerts". Simply uncheck that option box and you'll never hear from them.

Edited to add:

I haven't paid for a reliable security software in a long time because my ISP (Spectrum) offers a free FULL version of McAfee and so does one of my financial institutions, (Ally Bank).

I have free Norton from Comcast at one house, and free McAfee from Spectrum at another. I think both are top performers and are similar in that each has a very unobtrusive light touch and offer effective protection. I'd gladly pay for either if not free.

I get my information about the Dark Web from the political and spy thrillers that I read. :)

Elmer, I think it was you who suggested that I check to see if my provider had free service in a previous post in the Computer Help forum. So I checked and I don't have the upgraded service from AT&T that I would have to pay extra for to get it. I am on DSL, it's the only option where I'm at because we are in a rural area that no-one else wants to run service to. I have the minimum amount of bandwidth that I can get by on. But thanks for the info.

Here's a bit more info rita- a very recent update of reviews from a trusted, independent source - Neil Rubenking of PCMag. Looking at the rankings, I think I would opt for Avast Free, one of two top rated Editor's Choice products. I'd go for Avast because of its broader range of features and top performance as determined by several independent testing labs.

Good luck to all.

PCMag test results for free antivirus software

Everything that can be used for good can be used for evil. Chicago has experienced flash mobs of hundreds of teens who intimidate pedestrians in the city's downtown -- organized by cell phones. But that's nothing to the people using dark web to sell people and illegal guns, drugs, you-name-it. THAT is the part I'd like to see controlled -- but how to do it without infringing on benign rights to privacy?

rita,

I can't imagine how frustrating it must be with 1.5mbps internet speed.

Encryption and the right to privacy are not crimes. That is all the so called "Dark Web" is.

What is "criminal" is all the money making schemes and products out there being pushed to protect gullible people from this imaginary threat.

There is no global 'right' to privacy. Through custom and law, societies decide whether and how much privacy to allow. For instance, the checking of airline baggage for certain threats is more widely accepted that the more complex laws that govern what and how much can be checked in passenger automobiles.

Everything that can be used for good can be used for evil. Chicago has experienced flash mobs of hundreds of teens who intimidate pedestrians in the city's downtown -- organized by cell phones. But that's nothing to the people using dark web to sell people and illegal guns, drugs, you-name-it. THAT is the part I'd like to see controlled -- but how to do it without infringing on benign rights to privacy?

Beautifully put. The balance between safety and freedom has been a matter of serious discussion for thousands of years.

Michael, I run 2 computers (never both at the same time) and a roku on one TV on this. That's all I have going. And I guess it's considered slow for people who demand more but since I'm clueless and don't know any better, it's fine for me. I don't have anything else in the house such as appliances, gaming, etc. that runs on it. I don't have a smartphone either. DH has one (he has to for work) but he so seldom uses internet functions on it while he's home that he just uses his plan data. I know my son and his family of a wife and 2 teenagers with all the computers, phones, gaming, etc. can't stand trying to do anything here and I like that just fine because when they are here they need to stop staring at a device all the time and stare at me for a change. LOL!!!