Surface Web, Dark Web and Deep Web – terms you may not be familiar with or have never heard of before. When I first heard about these terms, I thought it was some kind of online Narnia; a place for superhuman hackers, where we mere mortals dare never venture into.
Let me tell you something new: you may be using the Deep Web every day without knowing it. I can feel your confusion about these terms, so let’s clear the doubts and explain the differences.
What is Surface Web?
We’ll start with the surface web since it’s the “visible” part of the web. Imagine the tip of an iceberg…. that’s the surface web. This is what we use every day for our normal activities, and that’s what people think of as the Internet.
It is the part that is accessible to the general public. I want to share an interesting fact that will blow your mind: The surface web makes up only about 4% of the internet! So, all those billions of pages that millions of us browse every day are less than a twentieth of the size of the total internet. To put that into perspective – that’s like your fingernail compared to your whole hand.
What is the Dark Web?
The Dark Web and Deep Web are different. People frequently get both confused, but the Dark Web is only a portion of the Deep Web, and this part of the web is not covered by traditional search engines such as Google, Yahoo or Bing. You may want to know if you can access the Dark Web; yes and no, as you will need technical software and maybe some computing knowledge to access the Dark Web, but we have sorted that out for you…keep on reading.
The Dark Web uses encrypted data and provides a platform for people in countries where there is censorship and repression. It is also used for illegal activities. It is only a part of the Deep Web and, its volume has not been measured yet.
What is the Deep Web?
The Deep Web is the largest part of the web, it is thousands of times larger than the Surface Web, so you can imagine how huge it is. Like the Dark Web, it is not listed by the traditional search engines. If you search for something from the Deep Web, you need a specific URL or IP address of the website to access it. The Deep Web holds data from social media, banking websites, chat messages, and health records.
The Deep Web contains more legal and legitimate content, while the Dark Web is an area for illegal activities, including the black market and even cyber-attack services.
Is It Safe To Access The Dark Web Or Deep Web?
Accessing the Dark Web and the Deep Web is very easy but not necessarily safe. You must remember that this place is full of hackers and cybercriminals, and it is crucial that you read and research about it.
We suggest you use a VPN to be safe. It offers you privacy and protection since it lets you connect to the Internet with a different IP address and thus remain anonymous.
How To Access The Dark Web?
- Download and install the Tor anonymous browser from the official website.
- Turn on your VPN for extra online security.
- Launch the Tor browser.
- Make sure that your Tor browser does not allow scripts.
- Set your browser’s security level to “safest”
Go to the dark web page you want to visit.
Neither the Dark Web nor the Deep Web is illegal, but you should not engage in illegal activities on the Dark Web. Be aware that the Dark Web can be quite dangerous if not used properly. You can become a victim identity of theft and more, so be careful when exploring. Let us know in the comments what you think of the different types of webs…