Why do people use the darknet?

To hide your identity:

• People may not want their data collected
• It's popular among civil liberties groups, journalists, and those who maintain online privacy.
• They don't want to be found (they may be criminals or want to engage in criminal activity)
• They want access to questionable content
• They want to use hidden services - although TOR itself is not hidden, the sites and users under it are hidden under layers of darknet encryption.

For criminal purposes:

• Black market trading
• Buying illegal goods (e.g., weapons/drugs)
• Participating in forums and media exchanges for pedophiles and terrorists