The Bottom of the Internet Iceberg: The Dark Web

The dark web isn’t visible by searching it on the web, it requires you to use an anonymizing browser called Tor in order to access it. This mysterious part of the internet is a hotbed of criminal activity and you can do all sorts of illegal things on that website such as buying drugs, weapons, subscriptions, software sources to help you hack into other people’s computers, etc.  You can do all sorts of malicious activity, but just because criminals use this website and that suspicious activity is happening, doesn’t mean that everything is illegal. The dark web has a legitimate side where you can join a chess club or Blackbook.

The dark web is like the underground of the internet-it contains various websites that are very private and hidden from the public. The dark web is also referred to as the darknet. Although this website is known for frequent illicit and criminal activity, it could also provide a social outlet for those who have been prosecuted for any specific reason. Legal authorities such as undercover police officers use the dark web as an advantage to apprehend criminals.

There is a difference between the open web, the deep web, and the dark web. The open web is shown in the public and is indexed by search engines and shows up in search results. I like to refer to this as the light of the internet, even though there are websites that include explicit content. The deep web contains content that is private from the public and is not accessible through search engines. The dark web is only accessible through Tor, also known as The Onion Router, or I2P. This part of the internet is home to illegal goods, shady activity, and several other dangerous things.

In case you are wondering, it is perfectly legal to just browse through the dark web. But beware, this is the dark web we are talking about, this place is home to many hackers and other cybercriminals, which makes matters risky. Be extremely cautious when downloading files, because this could infect your devices with viruses, malware, trojan, and other malicious files.

The dark web was created in 2000 with the release of Freenet, which is founded by a student named Ian Clarke. Clarke’s intention was to create a new way to anonymously communicate and share files online. This was the basis for the Tor project, which was released in 2002. Thanks to Tor, users can browse the internet undetected and explore sites that are part of the dark web.

Related Stories:

https://www.csoonline.com/article/3249765/what-is-the-dark-web-how-to-access-it-and-what-youll-find.html

https://www.kaspersky.com/resource-center/threats/deep-web

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/dark-web.asp

https://www.aura.com/learn/dark-web

Take Action:

• 5 Ways to Protect Yourself from the Darkweb
• Exposing the Dark Web