I doubt that dark pools will ever emerge as a big public issue, but financial reform is one of those ideas that, for better or worse, has gained traction. There are also those who wonder if additional regulation will be coming to the dark pool industry. CNNMoney.com notes that dark pools' share of market volume has been holding steady at 9 percent for the last eight or nine months. However, conventional wisdom holds that dark pools are gaining ground and that they have fragmented the market: Determining the truly best bid and offer is becoming more difficult.

The idea that there is lots of trading going on in the dark might be enough to alarm some politicians. So far, we've heard little public saber rattling when it comes to the issue, but it has definitely raised some brows at the Securities and Exchange Commission. James Brigagliano, Co-Acting Director of the Division of Trading and Markets, raised the issue of post-trade transparency of dark pool executions at a recent SIFMA conference. IOIs seem to be another area of concern--this might become a big issue.   

For more:
- here's a CNNMoney.com article

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