The internet is no longer what it once was with the introduction of the dark web. The days of peaceful browsing on spotless websites are long gone. Today’s internet is a digital wasteland filled with pop-up ads, notification prompts, and paywall limitations. Getting through these hurdles may require more effort than it is worth. It’s sometimes just easier to hit the back button.
Often when we talk about the web with someone elderly, more often than not, there is some hesitation. Not with the outright use of it. But with its widespread use and the kind of grip it has upon us. Every resource has its ability, its uses, and misuses.
The web of today is like a maze that is open-ended. A maze has many ends; depending upon the user and their needs, they find their desired end. It has a white, clean, and crisp front that is widely used and accepted. Then, a grey front is developing, put into use and accessed by some to build the futuristic world. Like almost every other figment of our life, every gift that humankind has developed, this too has a dark side to it.
Deep Web and Dark Web: General Introduction
We talk about two widespread horrors of the web today: the deep web and the dark web.
The web portals and internet pages we spend hours upon are known as the surface web. The surface web is visible and accessible to anyone with a system and stable internet connection. We also know it as the indexed or visible web.
Beneath it are many more layers of the internet. We commonly refer to these layers as the deep web. At the top of these layers are websites that can be accessed but are not easy. You can’t just go onto a search engine like Google or Bing and browse such websites. Examples are online banking or government database pages that are password encrypted. At the bottom of these layers lies the dark web.
Deep Web
The Deep Web is global Web material that is not included in the Surface Web. Because it is concealed from the rest of the world, ordinary search engines do not index it. It is the internet’s fastest-growing category of new information.
The overall volume of the deep web is 1000-2000X bigger than the total volume of the surface web. Dictionary.com defines it as “the area of the internet that is concealed and not visible to traditional search engines, as through encryption; the aggregate of unindexed websites.”
On the deep web, the users communicate through encrypted messages. They can buy, sell, share and exchange anything with total anonymity. It is often referred to as the wild west of the internet. More often than not, under these shadows are anti-social elements such as extremist groups, online trolls and criminals.
It’s intriguing and thought-provoking about who developed the dark and deep web. First, the deep web or the dark web is not a particular place or location but a term that describes parts of the internet that are less trodden upon. These are places that provide proper anonymity or places where sensitive business goes on.
Dark Web
The deep web is a subset of the dark web’s superset.
The dark web infrastructure setup is just as old as the internet is. Both came into existence around the 1970s. But to utilise it, one had to use the dark net software.
It is where the US comes into the picture. The US Naval Research Lab was the first to create one of the earliest and most infamous darknet software-TOR. It was built in the early 2000s. Just like any other web browser TOR also helps you run web searches and lets you browse. The catch is anonymity.
Other websites will register your IP address as soon as you hop on, but TOR doesn’t. This browser bounces off the user’s request to enter any site. It does this via several computers around the world. It encrypts and decrypts the user’s identity and thus provides added layers of ambiguity and security.
The US had security and privacy as the main reasons to create this. They wanted to provide better security to the activities of top government agencies and political dissidents.
While most parts of the deep web are safe to use and carry out the legitimate exchange of information and servers, there are still causes for worry.
Key things to know about the deep web
Databases are public and private file collections that are not linked to other web sections and may only be searched within the database itself.
Intranets are private networks businesses, governments, and educational institutions use to communicate and regulate things within their organisations.
Most of these pages are kept hidden from the public web to safeguard user information and privacy. For instance:
Banking and retirement accounts are examples of financial accounts.
Accounts for email and social messaging
Databases for private businesses
HIPPA-sensitive information, such as medical records
Legal documents
The most dangerous information and activities may be found on the dark side of the internet. TOR websites are located at the end of the deep web, referred to as the “black web”, and can only be accessed with an anonymous browser.
Key things to know about dark web
The term “dark web” refers to websites that are not indexed and are only accessible through specialist web browsers. The deep web includes the dark web, which is far smaller than the modest surface web. Using our ocean and iceberg analogy, the dark web would represent the buried iceberg’s bottom tip.
On the other hand, the dark web is an extremely hidden part of the deep web that few will ever interact with or even see. In other words, the deep web covers everything under the surface that’s still accessible with the right software, including the dark web.
We usually associate the dark web’s reputation with criminal intent or unlawful content and “trading” sites where users can acquire illicit items or services. However, legal parties also use this. Deep web hazards differ greatly from dark web dangers regarding dark web safety. Illegal online activity is not always easy to find, but when you do, it tends to be considerably more intense and dangerous.
Dark web vs deep web
Some of the differentiating factors between the deep and the dark web-
- The deep web is a subset of the World Wide Web whose contents are not indexed by ordinary web search engines.
The dark web is the WWW material found on darknets, which are overlay networks that utilise the internet but require particular software, setups, or authorisation.
- The Deep Web, as opposed to the Surface Web, is the portion of the internet that is not accessible to the naked eye.
The Dark Web is a network of one of the world’s greatest online criminal and terrorist operations. Its contents are not searchable by traditional search engines. Only personal encrypted networks or peer-to-peer arrangements have access to the material.
- The deep web has a massive collection of inaccessible websites.
The dark web has an unrestricted web with IP addresses that are purposely concealed.
- The deep web is accessible with a legitimate account and password and using standard search engines.
The dark web can only be accessed with specific and predefined software.
Key uses of the dark web and deep web
Some of the key applications of the deep web and the dark web-
Deep web-Intranets or private networks utilised by corporations and educational institutions are inaccessible to the general public.
Subscription-based applications are only accessible when the user has paid for them. Search engine crawlers cannot access this content.
Deep web refers to publicly available, free internet services. For example, banking websites require users to sign in before viewing their account statements. Because search engines cannot access the platform’s data, email services like Gmail are part of the deep web.
Dark web-The major purpose of the dark web is to provide website owners and users with anonymity. Websites that do not wish to be on the public internet, where they may be monitored, can hide on the dark web. Surprisingly, Facebook may be accessed as a TOR-hidden service, allowing users in countries where the platform is not legally available to visit the website securely.
The dark and the deep web isn’t just an eBay-like solution for illegal exchanges. Journalists also use it to uncover some truths. Whistle-blowers often use it to leak sensitive data, which the common public needs to know. These platforms provide them anonymity and security. News organisations like The New York Times and The Guardian host dark websites to upload clips and data anonymously. Some ordinary people also use it to browse the net without being traced by online trolls, advertisers, or extremists. They also provide a safe haven for online hate crime victims.
Conclsuion
Hence, this article teaches us about the deep and dark web. How they are both so alike and unlike too. Its key applications and horrors. And stays with us the big dilemma of whether to discard it or let it stay in operation stays with us. It leaves behind a vast expanse of a grey field where both vital activities can be carried out and anti-social activities as well. One man’s entertainment could become another man’s chaos.
