The Dark and Unseen Side of Internet: Deep Web

Web is a general word which means the collection of similar or different things. It basically refers to a spider’s web, which is a collection of strings. This term is also used in the internet these days, because of a large number of websites available on the internet. All those websites have to be linked together, which forms the World Wide Web.

Most people are aware about the usual web that can be accessed by every person around the world. Only a minority of people have knowledge about the different kinds of Web- Surface Web, Deep Web, Dark Web. Yes, the web is indeed divided into three types, where each has a different purpose. Many IT Services Company conduct seminars to inform more people about these websites.

Surface Web is the one that comprises of websites that are used on daily basis- Facebook, Google, Yahoo, YouTube and many other. They do not hide anything from the public, because they do not contain any secret information. Surprisingly, this constitutes only about four percent of the complete web. The websites that can be displayed by normal web are indexed, which allows search engines to display them, when related search is performed.

Deep Web contains the majority of websites that cannot be accessed by usual methods. A special browser is needed, because these websites do not show up in the search results. TOR Browser is a preferred application that enables people to access the websites hidden in the depths of the internet. People believe that Deep Web contains the information- databases of websites, secret societies, truth behind conspiracy theories.

Dark Web or Dark Net is an even deeper type of web, which is actually a part of Deep Web, because it uses the same procedure to be accessed. Dark Web means the websites that carry out illegal activities which could be related to buying and selling of drugs, assassinations, fake documents, stolen credit cards and several other activities.  

Many people have an interest towards Deep Web and Dark Web, because of the opportunities they offer. It gives a shelter to criminals and other people interested in earning through illegal activities. People feel that it is an easy method, which would help them to target the interested audience. At the end of the day, it is still an illegal way of carrying out activities, which can be punishable by law.

A lot of organizations choose to upload their data on the deep web, so that it could stay safe and away from the hands of normal public. Accessing it would become almost impossible because of the advanced knowledge that they would need, and no person would put in that much effort, without having any guarantee whether they will get the access or not.     

The Onion Router, that is commonly known as TOR, is a technology that was devised by United States military. The main purpose behind it was to build a medium that would allow the government agencies within US, to communicate with each other. As normal web hosts a large number of websites, it was a wise decision to develop something, wherein some selected people would be able to exchange information, without having to worry about any unauthorized person accessing it.  

Along with the browser, a proxy server is needed, because cybersecurity experts can easily track a person accessing the Deep Web. They would not be concerned about the intention behind accessing it. Out of curiosity, several people have an interest in checking this side of internet, but any wrong move, and they can land themselves behind the bars. IT Software Companies feel that it is their responsibility to teach people about the risks of accessing deep web without proper knowledge. 

The websites that are present in Deep and Dark Web end with ‘.onion’, which is similar to ‘.com’. People that want to access these websites must also be aware that they can get taken down permanently or temporarily. Some websites here follow a schedule, which means that they stay active for some hours of a day and inactive for the remaining time. This helps a website’s admin to avoid any troubles from the police. 

Though, some drugs like Marijuana are getting legal in many countries, there are other drugs that have to be bought illegally and that too at high prices. Dark Web enables people to buy those drugs at lower prices, but there is no guarantee when things are bought online.

Hitmen or Assassins can also be hired from this platform. Several people claim that they can assassinate a person for some amount of money. Experiments were done, which depicted that most of the claims were just some hoax and a way to extract money from unaware people.

This place is also a hub for terrorists, because it gives them a chance to get fake documents like passports, citizenship. The similarity of those documents is such that it becomes almost impossible to differentiate between a real and a fake document.

With the criminal activities being carried out on the internet, it has become essential for organizations and people to realize about the dangers of using internet carelessly. Cyber security experts advise that if a person cannot follow any practice for safe internet usage, they must use common sense and avoid websites that they would avoid in real life.  

  

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