How do darknets work? Typically, people who want to build a darknet will start by installing on their computers specialized software, which they can buy or often download for free from the Internet. Then individuals who want to form their own group swap passwords or digital keys so their computers
can communicate with each other. The data shuttling between computers often are encrypted, a security feature similar to that used for online credit-card transactions. This makes darknets more secure than typical corporate intranets, since companies usually don't encrypt data. Anyone tracking the private networks could monitor the traffic, but wouldn't know what information was inside the encrypted packets. And gaining entry to a group of, say, college kids swapping music is no easy feat: Prospective members often need recommendations from friends to join.