Deep, Dark, and Surface Web

Surface Web: This is the web that you and most people are already familiar with. Major websites like Google, Amazon, Twitter and Facebook. Sites on the surface web are “indexed,” which means they can be easily located via search engines. Activity on the surface web can also be easily tracked by advertisers.

Dark Web: The “private internet” includes encrypted websites that are hidden from search engines and other indexing services. While not everything on the Dark Web is, strictly speaking, illegal, this is the place to go if you run shady operations like data laundering and cybercrime. Accessing the Dark Web requires special encryption software like Tor Browser.

Deep Web: The term deep web is often used interchangeably with Dark Web, but the definitions are different. The deep web simply includes all online data that is not registered with search engines. This includes back-end data for most of the world’s biggest websites and platforms, as well as encrypted information stored on private networks and cloud servers.

Dark Web vs. Deep Web

Many people use the terms Dark Web and Deep Web interchangeably, but they are two very different things. Dark Web is basically just a part of the internet that is not completely public and you need special software to access. The Deep Web is designed for extra security and privacy that the regular Internet does not have. The Deep Web cannot be accessed by a search engine, and consists mostly of data stored on private networks of corporations.

The Dark Web is an encrypted network of darknets that makes up a portion of the Deep Web. Accessing this hidden section of the web requires a special encryption software called Tor. There is nothing wrong with the Dark Web, nor is it actually Dark. Originally it was designed with privacy, security, and anonymity in mind. It is not illegal, in fact, legitimate sites such as Facebook have sites on the Dark Web. Many people use it to browse the web without being tracked by an internet service provider or the government. There is a dark side to the Dark Web, including graphic content, evidence of kidnappings, hit-men for hire, prostitution, child pornography, drugs, guns, and more. Due to the anonymity the Dark Web provides, it is more difficult for law enforcement officials to track down and stop illegal activities.

The regular web, or Internet you use every day to search for your daily news, shop, Tweet, and watch viral animal videos can be just as bad. Many criminals and other predators hide in plain sight. Almost everything you can find on the Dark Web can also be found on the regular Internet. This includes drugs, solicitation, stolen data, terrorism groups, and various types of pornographic material.

The Deep Web is estimated to be around 500 times larger than the regular Internet and the Dark Web is estimated at 7,000 to 30,000 sites hidden from everyday access. Bottom line, the Dark Web is not so dark, the Internet is not so innocent, and the Deep Web is owned by corporations and governments.