The Difference Between the Dark Web and the Deep Web

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Drugs, death, and depravity are probably what come to mind when you hear about the Dark Web. Or is it the deep Internet? Is it both?

You might find yourself confusing the two terms, assuming that the dark web and the deep web are the same place, a place that people flock to for reasons that include illegal and/or generally shady activities. But even though the Dark Web is part of the Deep Web, the Deep Web is not really the Dark Web.

The “Classic Internet” is the Surface Web

I have to start this explanation with a completely different term: The Internet, as most of us know it, is called the “Surface Web.” (Maybe you’ve also heard of the open web or visible web.) It’s basically a collection of sites indexed by search engines. If it shows up in a Google search, it’s part of the surface web.

This article, for example, is part of the Surface Web; The CNET home page is part of the surface web; The Facebook login screen is part of the surface web. Most of the Internet that you know is probably covered by this definition.

This is not the case with the Deep Web or the Dark Web. You can’t open Chrome and expect to find dark web pages through a Google search. For the deep web, you will need to visit each website individually and, in the case of the dark web, all while using a special browser.

What exactly is the deep web?

Also known as the “hidden” web, the deep web is a collection of sites that are not indexed by search engines. Most of these sites are hidden behind login pages and can range from banking and email pages to paid content like streaming sites. Sure, you’ll find Netflix through a Google search, but you won’t find the player for love is blindSeason 9, Episode 1, unless you log into the site first.

The deep web also includes protocol pages, responsible for identifying user accounts when you log into a site, making payments when you make a purchase, and other processes that you never need to see. In short, it is both the backbone of the Internet and a part of the Internet that you interact with regularly. And it’s actually what makes up most of the Internet: according to CrowdStrike, the deep web makes up more than 90% of all online content. Deep web pages are not indexed, but they often contain directly linkable URLs and are accessible from traditional web browsers like Chrome or Firefox.

In your daily online life, you frequently switch between the surface web and the deep web, probably without realizing it. When you open your bank’s website, it’s the surface web. When you log into your account, your balance and investments are hosted on the deep web. When you open a YouTube video, it’s the surface of the web. If you go to your YouTube account settings page, that’s the deep web. You pass these hurdles all the time, but fear not: your frequent deep web activity never puts you in danger of accessing the deep web. dark the canvas.

What exactly is the dark web?

The Dark Web is a subsection (a small one at that) of the Deep Web. But unlike the latter, the dark web is not accessible via a classic web browser like Chrome or Firefox. This is because it is not only hidden by login pages or hidden URLs; The dark web uses both encryption and routing to hide its websites, as well as proxy servers to host requests and traffic without any centralized regulation. It’s still the deep web, but it’s just not a part you would stumble upon.

How to access the dark web

If you want to access the dark web, you need special tools to do so. A specific browser, like Tor for example, is required to get started. Just like you use Chrome to access public websites like Facebook or Lifehacker, you use a dark web browser to access dark web pages. It’s also common to know in advance the specific dark website you want to visit; these often end in .onion instead of .com. Although the dark web has its own search engines, like Ahmia, Torch, and even a special version of DuckDuckGo, they are not as robust as the search engines you are used to.

Since you need special protocols to access these sites, this traffic is often private and anonymous. This is what makes the dark web an attractive option for illegal activity: site activity is not as easily traced to individual user accounts. Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are the common currency on the dark web because they also protect your privacy during transactions.

The dark web is not only illegal

When you think of the “dark web,” you probably imagine a secretive, underground network of sites rife with illegal activity, circulating drugs, contraband, and illicit media with reckless abandon. You might also hear about data leaks ending up on the dark web, where bad actors pay for your passwords, hacked accounts, and credit card information. These sites certainly exist, but they are only part of what we call the dark web, which is not only a playground for perverts and malicious people.

Although many common use cases of the dark web may be against the law, anyone with a reason to remain anonymous online can use the networks. Common examples of “good” on the dark web are whistleblowers who need a place to release their information without the governments and organizations responsible for that data knowing who they are, as well as legitimate news and information sites for citizens of countries with strict censorship laws. A 2020 study estimates that 57% of the dark web contains illegal content. If true, that’s a lot, but it also means the other 43% aren’t breaking the law.

In short, the Deep Web is not a scary place. The Dark Web can be, but not always.