The Differences Between Dark Web and Deep Web

Even though the dark web is still often used with malicious intentions, it also allows people to surf the web without risk to their privacy. Today, the Tor project is a non-profit organization, receiving funds and donations from many organizations, including the US government. It’s run by volunteers working in many countries across the globe and serving the needs of over 2 million daily users. While the deep and dark web may be just non-indexed web pages, that’s where their similarities end.

When you hear about the “dark web” and the “deep web,” it’s easy to get confused and think they are the same thing. However, these two terms refer to different parts of the internet that serve distinct purposes.

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What is the Deep Web?

Their crawlers don’t ‘see’ these pages, making them de facto invisible to these search engines. Ironically, the Tor network surfaced in 2006 from a legal project jointly funded by the U.S. It was largely the introduction of Bitcoin in 2009 that transformed the dark web into a sanctuary for criminals. Bitcoin also contributed to the emergence in 2011 of the Silk Road, a black market for buying and selling illegal drugs.

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The deep web refers to any part of the internet that is not indexed by traditional search engines like Google or Bing. This includes websites that require login credentials, private databases, and content behind paywalls. The deep web is estimated to be much larger than the surface web that we are familiar with.

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Key characteristics of the deep web include:

• Content that is hidden from search engines
• Private and secure information
• Restricted access to certain users

In some countries, it is unlawful to access the Dark Web because it is a haven for criminal purposes. In other countries, the Dark Web is not specifically illegal, but accessing certain websites on the Dark Web may be against the law. For example, accessing child pornography websites is illegal in many countries.

What is the Dark Web?

If you liked this article, follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube, for more cybersecurity news and topics. Sooner or later, some of your data will spill over to collections available for sale on the dark web. What you can do to protect yourself is to make sure that data is not accurate anymore, not detailed enough to cause harm, and that you have multi-factor authentication enabled everywhere you can use it. Having reliable anti-malware protection active is also very important. Be careful what data permissions you give (don’t just mindlessly click ‘yes’ on every pop-up just to get to a website).

The dark web is a small portion of the deep web that is intentionally hidden and requires specific software, configurations, or authorization to access. It is often associated with illegal activities, such as drug trafficking, weapons sales, and cybercrime. The dark web operates on overlay networks that use encrypted connections to ensure anonymity.

Key characteristics of the dark web include:

• Anonymity through encryption
• Illegal activities and black market transactions
• Hidden services that protect user identities

• Researchers Daniel Moore and Thomas Rid of King’s College in London classified the contents of 2,723 live dark web sites over a five-week period in 2015 and found that 57% host illicit material.
• The encrypted network the Tor Browser uses to access the dark web is very hard to trace.
• Others sell software exploits that other cybercriminals can use to infect victims with malware and steal personal data.
• However, the deep web is a popular target for criminals because of the valuable information it contains.

In summary, while the deep web encompasses all unindexed parts of the internet, the dark web specifically refers to the secretive and illicit activities that take place in a hidden corner of cyberspace. It’s important to understand the distinctions between these two terms to navigate the internet safely and responsibly.