Written by: Manaswi Sapkota - 26004, Grade IX
Posted on: 15 February, 2023
Search engines such as Google and Bing are useful inventions of time. With these search engines we can search up anything we need, they help us navigate the internet. Only 4% of the internet is on Google due to which there are still places on the internet that Google cannot reach. “Dark Web” and “Deep Web” are a part of them.
The Deep web is the place on the internet that can be used to browse anonymously. It is not accessible through Chrome, Edge or Safari; rather, it can only be accessed through “Tor” which stands for The Onion Router. The Deep web has an absurd amount of information and data (96%). It can be accessed anonymously causing there to be both bad and good things lurking in it.
Just like the Deep Web there exists the Dark Web. The difference between these two webs is that the Dark Web is a fraction of the Deep web. The Dark web is completely cut out from most search engines and just like the Deep web is only accessible through certain lesser known browsers. The Dark Web operates completely anonymously causing many illegal activities to be done there. In these websites you can find stolen credit cards, stolen paypal accounts, stolen IDs, etc for sale. The Dark Web is also used for extortion. Many transactions related to illegal substances are available on the Dark Web. Fake Identity, weapons, drugs, etc are also sold in these marketplaces. Illegal pornography such as child pornography is found in the Dark web. Most of these websites have been taken down but there are still some websites lurking around, going unnoticed by the authorities. These marketplaces do not provide security to their users and they can be shut down at any point by authorities. In the past two years it has been confirmed that there are 38 active dark web marketplaces. These markets are similar to any other e-store. You can buy a product and leave a review. You can ask the seller questions and request things as you like. To perform transactions mostly bitcoin is used. That is due to its flexibility and anonymity. Bitcoin is usually used for illegal activities or cyber attacks due to their anonymity and that is the name for these marketplaces.
Let’s move on to the differences between all the three types of web. The Surface Web is easily accessible, it's the regular web you use for most daily activities. The Deep Web isn’t easily accessible, they consist of more information on certain people, companies, businesses, etc. The surface web doesn’t have any of that deep, further information.
The Deep Web and The Dark Web have a single big difference. The Dark Web is the smallest portion of the Deep Web. It is only 0.01% of the deep web. The Dark web is more anonymous and has much more dangerous content. But not all dark web sites are illegal. Many organizations have mirror sites where many insiders can relay information about their company freely. Even facebook has a mirror site. The Deep Web itself isn’t dangerous to use but there are certainly precautions to be taken. Using antivirus software, a VPN, and 2-Factor authentication is quite useful.
Resources:
https://vpnoverview.com/privacy/anonymous-browsing/deep-web/
https://eu.tennessean.com/story/money/tech/2014/05/02/jj-rosen-popular-search-engines-skim-surface/8636081/
