
The Iceberg
- Publisher
- Edition Patrick Frey
- Year
- 2017
- ISBN
- 978-3-906803-39-5
- Specifications
- Hardcover
128 pages
70 illustrations
24 x 16.5 cm
Design by Nicolas Polli
Language: English
One could conceive of the internet as an iceberg: its tip is the so-called surface web, the familiar digital world we navigate with search engines, social networks, blogs and news portals. The part underwater, about 90 percent of the iceberg, is the deep web. Below the surface web we use day in and day out lies an encrypted, constantly evolving network that is completely anonymous and eludes the reach of search engines. This dark web is a lawless no-man's-land, accessible only with special software, where everything is possible and nothing can be traced; here illegal online business flourishes, namely the trade in smuggled and counterfeit goods. The Iceberg shows a selection of so-called stock photos and original photographs from the flood of drug ads on the dark web meant to arouse consumers' interest. The original photos, probably taken with small cameras or smartphones, often appear surreal and abstract — on account of the mysterious, exotic aesthetic of the subject and their poor quality. Unlike the stock photos, these original images cannot be seen under normal light: they are printed in invisible ink and become visible only under ultraviolet light — the same light drug investigators use to search for traces of narcotics. These anonymously uploaded images, probably programmed to delete themselves after fulfilling their purpose, exist only temporarily in these dark, secret depths.