Well, you’d be kind of right…and kind of wrong. These are examples of things found in the dark web, a collection of websites that have hidden IP addresses and may require a specific software to access. The dark web is only a small fraction (0.01%) of the deep web, which contains Internet content that is not searchable by your standard search engines. In other words, if Google can’t find what you’re looking for, it’s probably still out there in the World Wide Web; it’s just in the harder-to-access deep web. (If Google can find it, then it’s on the surface web, which makes up about 0.03% of the Internet.)
The deep web and the dark web have been conflated in public discourse. Most people don’t know that the deep web contains mostly benign sites, such as your password-protected email account, certain parts of paid subscription services like Netflix, and sites that can be accessed only through an online form. (Just imagine if someone could access your Gmail inbox by simply googling your name!) Also, the deep web is huge: back in 2001, it was estimated to be 400–550 times larger than the surface web, and it’s been growing exponentially since then.
By comparison, the dark web is pretty small: dark web sites number only in the thousands. The websites in the dark web are characterized by their use of encryption software that makes their users and their locations anonymous. That’s why illegal activity is so common on the dark web: users can withhold their identity; the owners of illegal websites can hide their location; and data can be transferred anonymously. This means that the dark web is full of illegal drug and firearm transactions, p*rnography, and gambling. A notorious online black market called Silk Road was shut down by the FBI in 2013.
But the dark web’s not completely dark. It’s also used by political whistle-blowers, activists, and journalists who may be censored or could risk political retaliation if discovered by their government. Most notably, the website WikiLeaks has its home on the dark web.
The deep web is largely used to protect personal information, safeguard databases and access certain services, whereas the dark web is often used to engage in illegal activities. It is also used for military/police investigations, political protests and anonymous internet browsing.
The dark web is only a small fraction (0.01%) of the deep web, which contains Internet content that is not searchable by your standard search engines. In other words, if Google can't find what you're looking for, it's probably still out there in the World Wide Web; it's just in the harder-to-access deep web.
What are the risks? In many ways, the risks of the 'Dark Web' are the same as those that may be encountered in the 'Open Web'. Young people in both environments may access p*rnography, indecent images of children, or sites selling drugs and weapons.
The dark web refers to sites that are not indexed and only accessible via specialized web browsers. Significantly smaller than the tiny surface web, the dark web is considered a part of the deep web. Using our ocean and iceberg visual, the dark web would be the bottom tip of the submerged iceberg.
How to Find Out if Your Information is on the Dark Web. All you need is a service that automatically checks the Dark Web for you. Bitdefender Digital Identity Protection scans the Dark Web to find if your personal information was exposed. It also helps you take action to protect your data.
The deep web and dark web comprise 96% of the Internet, although the dark web is believed to be a far smaller share than the deep web. There were more than 2.5 million daily visitors to the dark web on average in 2023.
The dark web is known to have begun in 2000 with the release of Freenet, the thesis project of University of Edinburgh student Ian Clarke, who set out to create a "Distributed Decentralised Information Storage and Retrieval System." Clarke aimed to create a new way to anonymously communicate and share files online.
Tor is a network of virtual tunnels that allows you to improve your privacy and security on the Internet. Tor works by sending your traffic through three random servers (also known as relays) in the Tor network. The last relay in the circuit (the "exit relay") then sends the traffic out onto the public Internet.
The deep web is approximately 400 to 500 times greater than the surface web. The dark web is only a small fraction of the deep web—constituting only 0.01% of it, and 5% of the total internet.
Any personal data on the Dark Web puts you at risk of identity theft and financial fraud. The more information that cybercriminals have on you, the easier they can target you with hacks and ID theft.
Being notified that your information has been found in a data breach or on the dark web, as its name suggests, shouldn't be taken lightly. It's likely not an occasion to full-on panic, but it probably suggests some next steps.
Unfortunately, it's almost impossible to remove your personal information from the internet once it's circulating on the Dark Web. However, you can use a Dark Web monitoring service to check if your data has been exposed.
Illegal activities: The Dark Web is a hotbed for illegal activities such as drug trafficking, weapons trading, and human trafficking. Users who engage in these activities risk prosecution and imprisonment. Scams: Many Dark Web websites are designed to steal users' personal information or money.
The Dark Web is used by cybercriminals to buy and sell illegal goods and services, coordinate attacks, distribute malware and phishing kits, and share other prebuilt exploits. But, perhaps a big surprise to anyone thinking the Dark Web is just for criminal activity, it can also be leveraged for legitimate purposes.
Although the entire dark web is part of the deep web, it isn't true in reverse. Simply put, the deep web is any part of the Net that is not indexed by search engines.
The deep web refers to any page on the internet that isn't indexed by search engines as described above. The deep web is the first level beneath the “surface” of the visible web — and it's significantly larger than the surface web, accounting for an estimated 96% to 99% of the entire internet.
The type of content that has the most popularity on the dark web is illegal p*rnography—more specifically, child p*rnography. About 80% of its web traffic is related to accessing child p*rnography despite it being difficult to find even on the dark web.
Introduction: My name is Kareem Mueller DO, I am a vivacious, super, thoughtful, excited, handsome, beautiful, combative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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