Deep Web vs Dark Web: What’s the Difference?

The internet is a vast and mysterious place, with many hidden corners that most people never venture into. Two of these corners are the deep web and the dark web, and they are often confused with one another. However, they are actually quite different.

Unwitting users then share sensitive personal information by falsely believing that these communications are legitimate. Stolen data often ends up on the dark web for sale, giving cybercriminals the incentive to target organizations with sensitive customer data (such as financial institutions). It is worth noting that some pages on the deep web contain valuable personal data to cybercriminals. Securing this data prevents it from being compromised and possibly showing up for sale on the dark web. However, the deep web can also host illegal content such as pirated media. Anyone can access this material without needing a different web browser such as Tor.

Non-indexed Content

The Deep Web

The deep web is simply the part of the internet that is not indexed by search engines like Google. This includes things like academic databases, private company intranets, and personal email accounts. In other words, the deep web is made up of all the websites and pages that you can’t find by searching for them on the surface web.

While the deep web may sound mysterious, it’s actually quite mundane. Most of the content on the deep web is not illegal or even particularly interesting to the average person. In fact, you probably access the deep web every day without even realizing it.

How to Access the Deep Web

Accessing the deep web is actually quite easy. All you need is a special web browser like Tor or I2P, which can be downloaded for free. These browsers allow you to access websites that are not indexed by search engines, giving you access to a whole new world of information.

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The Dark Web

When on deep web sites, don’t give out personal information often either. Giving it to strangers could harm you in multiple ways, but if you get hacked, even giving it to people you know could become devastating. Basically, just make sure anything you put out on deep web sites, or on any sites, is information you’re comfortable getting out no matter what. Similarly, in the facts about the surface web, it is ironically home to the deep web. The downsides of the surface web are trolls, stalkers, data exploitation, pornography, identity theft, hacking, the intrusion of privacy, etc. The Internet is the last safe place where no matter what users do, they tend to leave their digital traces.

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The dark web, on the other hand, is a small part of the deep web that is intentionally hidden and requires special software to access. The dark web is often associated with illegal activities, such as drug trafficking, weapons sales, and even hitmen for hire. However, it’s important to note that not all activity on the dark web is illegal.

The dark web is often used by people who want to remain anonymous online, such as whistleblowers, journalists, and political dissidents. It’s also used by people who want to avoid government surveillance or censorship.

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How to Access the Dark Web

The network that these .onion URLs reside on cannot be accessed with the same browser you use to access your Facebook messages, the justice department’s archive or your Harvard email account. Expect the Dark Web to remain a tiny but active part of the Deep Web, supporting criminal activity but also civil liberties in countries where governments crack down on freedoms. Dark Web monitoring can be expensive and complicated, but it is becoming increasingly critical as more private data is bought and sold in the Internet’s underbelly. The Dark Web can also provide some highly illegal services, such as assassinations. You may have heard about theDark Web contract killer who was hired by an Italian IT worker at a major corporation to assassinate his former partner. The suspect was caught after Europol conducted a crypto-analysis of the Bitcoin transaction to trace the suspect.

Accessing the dark web requires special software, such as Tor or I2P. These browsers allow you to access websites that are not indexed by search engines and that are hidden behind layers of encryption. It’s important to note that accessing the dark web can be dangerous, as it is often used for illegal activities. If you choose to access the dark web, be sure to take precautions to protect your privacy and security.

FAQs

• Only a tiny fraction of the deep web is encrypted and accessible using specific browsers.
• It is tremendously more vast than the surface web, with some experts estimating that search engines index less than 1% of online content.
• The dark web is a part of the internet that is not indexed by search engines and is not easily accessible through standard web browsers.
• A thin layer of security protects the public from accessing deep web content, but not as much as the dark web.
• Finally, you can take steps to mitigate data leakage by implementing security controls like securing vulnerable hosts or notifying users to change their passwords.

On the other hand, there are numerous valid reasons for people to utilize the dark net. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is an extra layer of security you can enable on your accounts. MFA protects you in the event that someone is able to gain access to your login credentials since it requires a second method of authentication before they’re able to successfully log in. 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.

• Is the deep web illegal? No, the deep web is not illegal. It’s simply the part of the internet that is not indexed by search engines.
• Is the dark web illegal? Not necessarily. While the dark web is often associated with illegal activities, not all activity on the dark web is illegal.
• Can I access the deep web on my regular browser? No, you cannot access the deep web on your regular browser. You need a special web browser like Tor or I2P.
• Is it safe to access the dark web? Accessing the dark web can be dangerous, as it is often used for illegal activities. If you choose to access the dark web, be sure to take precautions to protect your privacy and security.

That’s not to say that the entire deep web consists of these difficult-to-find websites. The deep web — also known as the deep net — is a collective term for non-indexed websites that are invisible to traditional search engines. Because of this, tracking down the web addresses of deep web sites is a much more manual process. Aleksander Hougen, the managing editor at Cloudwards, is an expert in cloud storage and related technologies. His expertise extends to cloud backup solutions, secure data storage and the broader spectrum of cloud services.

Organizations constantly face the risk of data breaches, but the existence of the dark web highlights it. While criminal activity (including trade in stolen data and identity theft) may be the first thing people think of when they hear about the dark web, it’s far from the only reason to use it. However, it is generally used for activities that people want to actively keep secret. This part of the web contains everything from password-protected sites and data not accessible via public web pages to private intranets, academic content, and more. It makes up about 99% of the entire web and is largely inaccessible to normal users. Contrary to popular belief, in most of the world outside of China, using those proxy networks in and of itself is legal.

In conclusion, the deep web and the dark web are two different things. The deep web is simply the part of the internet that is not indexed by search engines, while the dark web is a small part of the deep web that is intentionally hidden and requires special software to access. While the deep web is mostly mundane, the dark web is often associated with illegal activities. If you choose to access the dark web, be sure to take precautions to protect your privacy and security.