Deep web
The Deep Web, often referred to as the Hidden Internet or Invisible Web, encompasses all parts of the internet that are not indexed by traditional search engines. This vast area includes a wide variety of websites, many of which are accessible only with specialized knowledge, passwords, or software. Contrary to popular belief, the Deep Web is significantly larger than the surface web, which includes the pages most users interact with daily. A smaller subset of the Deep Web, known as the Dark Web, is often associated with illicit activities and requires specific software, such as Tor, to access.
Tor was initially developed to protect military communications but has become widely used for anonymous browsing. While it provides strong privacy protections, it is also exploited for illegal transactions, including drugs and other contraband. Despite its notoriety, the Deep Web serves essential functions, particularly for individuals in oppressive regimes or restricted environments, allowing them to access information and communicate freely without fear of surveillance or censorship. Additionally, it offers safe spaces for support groups where individuals can seek help for sensitive issues without exposure. Overall, the Deep Web is a complex landscape that balances both legitimate uses and potential dangers.
Deep web
The Deep Web, also known as the Hidden Internet, the Invisible Web, the Dark Net and the Dark Web, is any area of the internet not indexed by search engines. Because search engines cannot find the Deep Web, websites hosted there can be difficult to find and access. Some websites in the Deep Web require specialized knowledge, software, or passwords to access. While the size of the Deep Web cannot be measured, experts estimate that the Deep Web is much larger than the surface internet.
Overview
Though the Deep Web has developed a reputation for sinister activities, most of the Deep Web is commonly accessed by everyday internet users. Search engines index pages by utilizing programs called web crawlers. These programs follow hyperlinks from one webpage to another, recording the address of every webpage they access. However, following hyperlinks is the only way web crawlers can find new webpages; they cannot enter any information into search bars or dialogue boxes, eliminating access to most academic databases, forums, and the majority of common search-based websites. Lastly, they cannot find closed networks or pages protected by certain types of internet security. All of these pages are part of the Deep Web. Experts estimate the Deep Web to be hundreds of times larger than the surface web.
The Dark Web
Though the terms are commonly confused, the entire Deep Web is not the Dark Web. The Dark Web is a small, specific portion of the Deep Web. Because the Dark Web is sometimes used for illicit activities, it receives far more publicity than the rest of the Deep Web.
The Dark Web is the section of the internet composed of intentionally hidden, difficult to access websites. Most of these websites require specific software to find and access. Common software packages used for this purpose include I2P, Freenet, and The Onion Router (Tor). With millions more users than its competitors, Tor is by far the most common option.
Navigating the Deep Web Anonymously
Tor was developed by independent researchers working with the US Navy to protect the military's online communications. Increasing the number of people using Tor at any given time also increases the difficulty of tracking and monitoring users. Because of this, the creators made Tor's software open-source, which means it is publicly available and easily accessible. Experts believe that in 2014 as many as two million individuals were using Tor at any time.
Tor functions by automatically encrypting all data the user is sending and receiving, then bouncing that data through Tor servers located around the world. Though the extra security procedures make accessing the internet through Tor much slower than conventional broadband internet, they also make monitoring a user almost impossible. A third party monitoring a Tor user's computer is only able to see that the user is accessing the internet through Tor. Additionally, any third party monitoring accesses to a website will be completely misled by Tor. Because Tor bounces a user's information to servers all over the world before delivering it, someone monitoring a website might read an American user as someone from any nation.
The strong anonymity of the Tor network, coupled with the availability of untraceable online currencies such as Bitcoin, makes the Tor network extremely attractive to criminals. Anonymous marketplaces for illegal drugs and weapons are well known and commonly used. Darker services, such as hit men and human trafficking, are advertised for sale. Because online currency is often untraceable, however, advertisers often take a buyer's money and never deliver promised services, so the vast majority of darker services offered are believed to be scams.
Though Tor is a powerful tool, the anonymity it provides is far from impenetrable. Authorities are fully aware of what goes on in the Dark Web, and simple mistakes can link a criminal's online activity to his or her identity. Many criminals learned this in 2013, when the governments of the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom enacted Operation Ononymous. Working together, they suddenly seized more than 400 websites on the Dark Web that offered illegal services, dealing a significant blow to the online criminal community. Operation Ononymous's most famous seizure was the takedown of the Dark Web marketplace called the Silk Road 2.0. While the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had closed the original Silk Road online marketplace a year earlier, within weeks another Dark Web user had created a new version of the website. At the time of Silk Road 2.0's seizure, authorities estimated that more than 150,000 users were trading $8 million of illegal narcotics every month. The joint task force arrested the man accused of running the website and many high-profile buyers and sellers.
Anonymity and Free Speech
Despite the amount of illegal activity operating in the Deep Web, it and services such as Tor have countless legitimate uses. Citizens of oppressive nations and people in places with restricted internet access use Tor to access the Deep Web and read restricted news, freely discuss politics, and communicate without fear of reprisal from authorities. Nonviolent protesters in the Arab Spring movement used Tor to communicate with the outside world after the government restricted internet access. Additionally, many journalists use Tor and similar networks to anonymously research controversial topics and to communicate with sources in a way that protects both the journalist and the sources. Lastly, various legitimate support groups meet in the Deep Web using the Tor network. People with addictions to alcohol or narcotics, abuse survivors, and many others can use the Tor network to seek help without the fear that coworkers, family, or friends could discover their private problems.
Bibliography
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