The Internet is not the web
Before distinguishing the two terms deep web (deep web) and dark web (dark web), we need to clarify another common confusion when there is a tendency to use the words “internet” and “web” interchangeably. but they are actually very different.
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The dark web is a favorite place for multinational criminals |
The Internet is the network infrastructure we use to communicate globally, including the network cards in our computers, routers, fiber optic lines, undersea cables, and all the other components around the planet. The Internet also includes protocols – which are the language of the internet and describe exactly how information is encrypted and routed through the internet.
Whereas, World Wide Web is a service that runs on top of internet infrastructure. Specifically, it’s a network of websites hosted on web servers connected to the internet. The Internet plays the role of hosting various services such as video streaming, FTP (file transfer protocol), email, etc.
Life on the surface web
The floating web is the public face of the internet. When you are accessing any web page, you are accessing the floating web. Definitions may vary slightly but the floating web is essentially all websites and resources that are connected to the internet and can be explored and accessed for free. For example, Google’s search engine “crawls” the web to find websites that are easier for people to access.
Step into the deep web (Deep web)
The deep web is all that is connected to the internet but hidden behind some form of security, and is the backbone of our everyday internet experience. When you log into your webmail service or Facebook account, you are accessing the Deep Web. The deep web will not display content until you have passed these security steps.
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What is the dark web (Dark Web)?
The dark web is part of the deep web. These are websites and servers that have been intentionally hidden. The people who run the website don’t want anyone to know who they are and they certainly don’t want anyone to be able to access their website.
This anonymity can be achieved in a variety of ways, but most of the websites on the dark web are onion-formatted sites (which can be understood simply with the image of an onion, consisting of layers) and can only be accessed using the Tor Browser. The Tor network was created to allow completely anonymous communication (with some extra precautions) over the internet. When a user and a website send data to each other via Tor, packets are randomly routed through a huge network of volunteer computers. Each of these nodes only knows where the packet just came from and where it should go next, since each layer of an encrypted onion is stripped from the packet’s content. Only when the packet reaches its final destination is the final layer of encryption dropped and the intended recipient receiving the original data.
While the dark web is not illegal in most countries, it is quickly being adopted by criminals to obfuscate illegal content and communications around the world. Combined with the rise of cryptocurrencies, the dark web has enabled illegal transactions of billions of dollars.
There are many legitimate websites on the dark web but in general, most users should stay away from it because it comes with serious cybersecurity risks and any website can be compromised.
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