Whatever we search through a typical search engine shows a part of the content that is available online. On the other side, dark web works exact opposite to that of a normal search engine. Generally, most users browse content online through the surface web. It is a segment of internet where sites are indexed by popular search engines and can be viewed by any user easily. The surface web present those information which an average user sees, though there are many more hidden layers of content, which is found in dark web. To access the dark web, you need a special browser known as Onion Router (Tor). The users of dark web can explore the hidden sites and engage in both legal and illicit activities under the protection of an anonymous IP address.
Surface Web
Surface Web also known as open web, present sites that are visible to average users without the use of any specific browser or software. The sites on the surface web are indexable and they can be accessed easily through search engines. The surface web is made up of many popular sites consisting of .com, .net, and .org, still it represents only around 5% of the total content available on the internet. The rest part is found in the dark web and deep web. If we imagine a large iceberg, whose most of the part remains hidden under the surface, the part which is visible to us is the surface web, and the part which is under the surface consists of the dark web and deep web.
Dark Web
The part of the Internet that is not indexed by search engines is known as the dark web. It is a collection of websites, forums and marketplaces that are accessible by using the Tor browser. This special browser permits an user a level of anonymity that is especially appealing to cybercriminals, hackers and government operatives who want to be anonymous.
Difference between Dark Web and Deep Web
There is a major part of the digital content in the world, that is not accessible to normal or general internet users through web search engines. A massive amount of information exists on the Deep Web, also known as hidden web, where almost all online activities take place.
The fact is that you use the Deep Web as a part of our daily your daily routine. Whenever we log into your email account, check your online banking details or use social media, you are on the Deep Web. Millions of general internet users access private databases such as email inboxes and credit card accounts on a daily basis. They are protected behind security walls, authentication forms and passwords on the Deep Web.
Most of the websites on the Deep Web are used by various entities such as corporations, government agencies and non-profit organizations. The Deep Web hosts information that requires a username and a password to access, for security and privacy-based reasons. Many of the activities of Deep Web involve personally identifiable information such as medical and legal documents, financial records, academic research, intellectual property, confidential commercial data and many more.
Deep Web is not the same as the Dark Web. The Dark Web is another fraction of the internet that is not similar to the Deep Web. The Dark Web makes use of cluster of nodes and networks called "darknets", which is not limited to peer-to-peer networks, small or big including Tor and Freenet.
Origin of Dark Web
The Dark Web is known to have originated in the year 2000 with the release of Freenet, a thesis project of University of Edinburgh student Lan Clarke. He aimed to create a "Distributed Decentralized Information Storage and Retrieval System". His vision was to create an innovative way to communicate anonymously and share files online. This was the groundwork for the Tor project, which was released in 2002 and launched a browser in 2008. As the Tor browser was created, users are able to browse the internet completely in an anonymous way and explore sites which are part of the "Dark Web".
Functioning of Dark Web
Initially, the Dark Web was used by the United States Department of Defense, to communicate anonymously. Now, it has become a hub for users who was to remain anonymous around the world. There are both legal and illegal users of dark web, who uses the technology of "onion routing", that protects the users from being tracked through a random path of encrypted servers. Whenever an user access a site through Tor browser, his information is routed through numerous relay points that hides the user's track and make their browsing virtually impossible to track.
Types of data in Dark Web
Dark Web may seem to be a suspect of illegal works, but there are many legitimate uses of Tor and anonymous browsing. Many varieties of data are available on the Dark Web, which has both legal and illicit uses. Some of them are discussed below:
- Personal Data- Dark Web is an excellent place to find someone's personally identifiable information such as the full names, home addresses, phone numbers, birth dates, Social Security numbers (SSN), hacked email addresses, and many other details that can pinpoint you as an individual.
- Online Account Login Data- Dark Web may comprise of username, password combinations, that give access to your online accounts of social media or video streaming services or paid professional services.
- Financial Data- Credit card details that are stolen, online banking usernames and passwords, credentials for cryptocurrency accounts, banking and insurance records and many more.
- Confidential Corporate Data- Companies generally upload their confidential information such as intellectual property, patents, competitive intelligence, and operational details on Dark Web.
- Medical Data- Dark Web may contain your medical history, prescriptions, biometric data (such as fingerprints and images of your face), test results, billing information and many other sensitive information.
- Forged Data- Many fake passwords, stolen driver's licenses and IDs, bank drafts and many similar information are present on the Dark Web.
Legal uses of Dark Web
There are many legal and legitimate uses of Dark Web and anonymous browsing. In the countries, where government may spy on and oppress political dissidents, the Dark Web is best and often place for communication that avoids government censorship and scrutiny. Rather, these added layers of security, can be dangerous for an user, and shall take proper security measures such as updating their security software regularly, browsing with best VPN and avoiding the use of a standard email address can protect your digital security.
Illegal uses of Dark Web
Despite of the menacing name of Dark Web, it is not illegal nor it is unlawful to access it. However, most of the activities of Dark Web are related to criminal actions. Dark Web is used for illicit and illegal purposes, because of its anonymous nature. It includes the buying and selling of illegal drugs, weapons, passwords, and stolen identities along with trading of illegal pornography and potentially harmful and disturbing materials. Many of the sites with illegal material were discovered in recent times and has been shut down by the government agencies, such as Silk Road, AlphaBay, and Hansa. There has been an increase of cyber security threats and data breaches over the last decades due to anonymity of the Dark Web.
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