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The Deep Web and Dark Web: Understanding the Differences

Although surveillance has the potential to violate someone’s right to privacy, it can also be used to reduce possible threats. Beyond the illegal behaviors that need surveillance, privacy is necessary for situations where anonymity is crucial. The dark web serves as a space where activism against ruthless regimes and corporate or political whistleblowing thrive. Search engines are able to return millions of results for anything your heart desires.

Obscurity refers to the inability to find an online resource on a search engine results page (SERP). For instance, some websites use robots.txt files to prevent search engines from indexing their sites. In search, obscurity is an outdated method of protecting information online.

According to Dataprot, a rough estimate is that the surface web makes up only 5% of the internet and the rest is made up of the deep web. The surface web is anything on the internet that you’re able to search for on standard search engines. According to SpiceWorks, the deep web hosts around 7,500 terabytes of data, whereas the surface web hosts 19 terabytes. It’s also estimated that there are 550 billion individual documents that are hosted on the deep web and only one billion are hosted on the surface web. According to Britannica, the dark web makes up only 0.01% of the deep web.

With the creation of Tor, users could now browse the internet completely anonymously and explore sites that were deemed part of the “dark web.” This keeps others from logging onto your online savings or checking accounts. The dark web hosts all kinds of illegal activities, many of which are the buying and selling of firearms, drugs, counterfeit money, fake passports, and stolen accounts. Darren Guccione is the CEO and co-founder of Keeper Security, the world’s most popular password manager and secure digital vault. Keeper is the first and only password management application to be preloaded with mobile operators and device manufacturers including, AT&T, Orange, America Movil and HTC.

And while the dark web isn’t synonymous with illicit activities, it’s undeniably the breeding ground for the internet’s black markets, hacker forums, malware vendors, and other illegal activity. You can also use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to enhance your online privacy and security. In short, a VPN creates a private, encrypted connection between your device and the Internet, making it harder for anyone to spy on your internet activity.

Only two VPN providers that we know of, AirVPN and BolehVPN, offer this service, although neither of these score highly for speeds. Internet traffic first passes through the Tor Network, and then through the VPN. This means the VPN provider doesn’t see your real IP address and the VPN protects you from those bad exit nodes.

The terms deep web and dark web are often used interchangeably, but they represent distinct parts of the internet that serve different purposes. Understanding these two sections can provide insights into their significance in our digital world.

Learn how to protect your data from financial fraud and identity theft. It is these qualities that make it a haven for all kinds of criminal and illegal activity. Often, search crawlers can’t index the deep web because web pages instruct them not to, and the content usually requires authentication to access. Any webmaster can place a script on their website (called the robots.txt) to instruct web crawlers to not crawl certain URLs. In addition to this, the extent to which search engines dominate the surface web limits its usefulness within OSINT investigations. Search engines are designed for consumers, not investigators, and as a result search engines bring back results they think the user wants to see.

What is the Deep Web?

Dark web sites use encryption software so their visitors and owners can remain anonymous—it’s why the dark web is home to so much illegal activity. Over 2.7 million active users browse the dark web every day, and many do so for legitimate reasons. The term dark web refers to encrypted online content that is not indexed by conventional search engines. Accessing the dark web can only be done using specific browsers, such as TOR Browser.

• Here’s a quick tutorial on how to safely access the dark web and tips on how to use it.
• Deep Web is the internet that cannot be accessed through standard search engines or the pages that are not indexed in any way.
• While no one can ever guarantee a method keeps your browsing completely untraceable, using Tor ensures your traffic is much harder to trace than if you’re using a normal browser.
• When comparing the Deep Web to the Dark Web, you can think of the Deep Web as the invisible part of the Internet and the Dark Web as the secret part of the Internet.
• This is a great way to further the freedom of information around the globe.

The deep web refers to all parts of the internet that are not indexed by traditional search engines like Google or Bing. This encompasses a vast array of content that isn’t accessible through standard web browsers or found through regular searches. Some key points include:

• Contains databases, private corporate sites, medical records, and legal documents.
• Includes subscription-based content like academic journals and streaming services.
• Is estimated to be significantly larger than the surface web, which consists of public-facing websites.

Characteristics of the Deep Web

The deep web is characterized by:

• Protected content that requires authentication or payment.
• Dynamic pages that are generated for specific users or queries.
• Content behind paywalls and restricted access environments.

What is the Dark Web?

The dark web is a small portion of the deep web that has been intentionally hidden and is not accessible through standard web browsers. It requires specialized tools, such as Tor, to access. Some notable features include:

• Offers anonymity for users, making it a haven for both legal and illegal activities.
• Hosts marketplaces for illicit goods and services, including drugs and counterfeit items.
• Facilitates communication channels for whistleblowers and dissidents in oppressive regimes.

Characteristics of the Dark Web

The dark web is known for several distinct characteristics:

• Use of encryption to protect users’ identities and activities.
• Sites with .onion domain extensions that are only accessible via specific browsers.
• Presence of both positive communities (e.g., forums for free speech) and negative aspects (illegal transactions).

Key Differences Between the Deep Web and Dark Web

To clarify the distinctions between the deep web and dark web, consider the following:

FAQs

1. Is everything on the dark web illegal?

No, while a significant portion of the dark web is associated with illegal activities, there are also forums for open communication, privacy advocacy, and sharing information that may be censored elsewhere.

2. How do I access the deep web safely?

To access the deep web safely, ensure you have proper security protocols in place, such as using VPNs and secure passwords, especially for sensitive content.

3. Can I accidentally access the dark web?

Accessing the dark web typically requires intentional action and specific software, so it’s unlikely to stumble upon it inadvertently when browsing the traditional internet.

Conclusion

Understanding the deep web and dark web is crucial for grasping the full scope of the internet today. While the deep web serves essential purposes in protecting sensitive information, the dark web remains a complex and often controversial space that highlights the duality of anonymity in digital communications.