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Beneath the surface of normal internet content and traffic (the so-called surface web) lies content that we do not normally encounter. This is not just the deep web, i.e. the part that requires some form of authorization and is not indexed by search engines. Roughly half of the content on the internet, as a global system of interconnected computer networks, is represented by the dark web. It is not often discussed in public, and when it is, it is often simplified, if not downright wrong. That is why it is valuable when experts comment on the topic. One of them is FIT VUT researcher Daniel Dolejška, a doctoral student and passionate programmer who is actively involved in the issue of trade in illegal products on the dark web. In cooperation with local and foreign security forces, he strives to find new ways to identify illegal cryptocurrency transactions.

Dolejška has repeatedly devoted himself to popularizing topics in the field of cybersecurity, and in August he accepted an invitation to appear on the Reset podcast. Last week, the episode was published and even aired on CNN Prima News. Dolejška discussed the topic with Robert Šuman, an expert from ESET Research.

Freedom of speech, digital underworld... or both?

Accessing the dark web requires specialized software (the best known is the Tor browser) and knowledge of the necessary addresses, which are different from the commonly known URL addresses of the surface web. Access to the dark web is not illegal in itself, but it does require adherence to certain principles (not disclosing personal information, ideally using a VPN, etc.). And also vigilance.

The motivation behind the creation of this "layer" of the internet was to create an environment that would ensure anonymous (in the sense of the anonymity of the users themselves) and free access to information. Anonymity is almost guaranteed, but users can sometimes be identified by the context of their behavior (access times, writing style, etc.).

Unfortunately, the dark web is now rightly associated with the sale of weapons, drugs, prescription drugs, and cyberattacks. It has become (by no means exclusively!) the infrastructure of cybercrime. However, this transformation required the development of other technologies, primarily cryptocurrencies, which enabled monetization and, with their emphasis on anonymity, became a natural complement to operations in this area of the internet.

The dark web is not just about illegal content and trade, but also about services such as encrypted email services. On the dark web, you can also find versions of servers such as BBC, Reddit, and Facebook that circumvent the restrictions of authoritarian regimes. Ensuring freedom of speech was the fundamental motivation for its creation, and it is still an argument for the existence of the dark web today.

Daniel Dolejška touched on all these points and many others in his interview for the Reset podcast. You can listen to it here or watch it on the CNN Prima News website.

We would like to thank everyone who came to FIT on Friday, September 26, for this year's Researchers' Night and let our researchers convince them that science and information technology in particular constitute the wealth of our society. This year, we had a record number of visitors: 850!

We would especially like to thank our researchers for their extremely interesting presentations and workshops, which made the program truly exceptional. Finally, we would also like to thank the members of the Student Union for their crucial help throughout the evening.

Thanks to all of you, we had an extraordinary evening with science.

For more photos, check out our photo gallery HERE.

On Thursday, September 18, the Ceremonial Academic Assembly of BUT took place in the Rector's Hall. During the ceremony, BUT Rector Ladislav Janíček traditionally presented awards to prominent figures who have contributed to the development of the University of Technology. Three Rector's Awards for outstanding scientific and artistic achievements went to our researchers, which, together with the Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), is the best result within the university.

The award for Outstanding Conference Contribution with a Major Impact on the Community was presented to the co-authors of the article "Decentralized Planning Using Probabilistic Hyperproperties. 24th International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems (AAMAS'25)", Associate Professor Milan Češka, Filip Macák, and Roman Andriushchenko.

The award for Result with Exceptional Media Coverage went to Professor Jiří Jaroš, who led a research team that, in collaboration with University College London (UCL), contributed to the development of a groundbreaking diagnostic technology: an optical 3D photoacoustic scanner.

The third success, the Award for Significant Results Not Covered by Other Awards, went to the team consisting of Vladimír Veselý, Daniel Dolejška, and Matěj Grégr for their project BAZAR: Building a Community on the Issue of Cashless Dark Markets.

Our faculty also received two Silver Medals and several student awards. More information about these and other awards can be found here.

We congratulate all the winners and thank them for representing our faculty!