People are talking more about the Deep web and the Dark web, and there is some confusion around the two.
Here are the basic differences between the regular Internet, the Deep Web, and the Dark Web.
Here are the basic differences between the regular Internet, the Deep Web, and the Dark Web.
If you’re into computer security at all you may have heard of terms like “Deep Web” and “Dark Web”. The terms can be confusing so here are the basics:
- The Internet: This is the easy one. It’s the common Internet everyone uses to read news visit Facebook and shop. Just consider this the “regular” Internet.
- The Deep Web: The deep web is a subset of the Internet that is not indexed by the major search engines. This means that you have to visit those places directly instead of being able to search for them. So there aren’t directions to get there, but they’re waiting if you have an address. The Deep Web is largely there simply because the Internet is too large for search engines to cover completely. So the Deep Web is the long tail of what’s left out.
- The Dark Web: The Dark Web (also called Darknet) is a subset of the Deep Web that is not only not indexed, but that also requires something special to be able to access it, e.g., specific proxying software or authentication to gain access. The Dark Web often sits on top of additional sub-networks, such as Tor, I2P, and Freenet, and is often associated with criminal, activity of various degrees, including buying and selling drugs, pornography, gambling, etc. While the Dark Web is definitely used for those things more than the standard Internet or the Deep Web, there are many legitimate uses for the Dark Web as well.
- The Internet is where everyone has access to and where it’s easy to find things because they’re indexed by search engines.
- The Deep Web is the part of the Internet that isn’t necessarily malicious but is just too obscure to be indexed due to the sheer size of the web.
- The Dark Web is the part of the non-indexed part of the Internet (the Deep Web) that is used by those who don’t want to be found for whatever reason. This could be for seedy, illegal purposes or it could be a matter of privacy.