The dark web is a section of the internet that requires special software to access and can be difficult to navigate once you do. Multiple layers of encryption allow people to browse and post information on the dark web with near anonymity, making it a go-to platform for buying and selling illicit goods and services.

What Are the Three Levels of the Internet?

Learning about the three levels of the internet might help you better understand what the dark web is.

Surface Web

The surface web, often known as the clear web, is the part of the internet that anyone can access using a web browser and a search engine. Search engines “crawl” the internet looking for new websites and pages to index. When you search for a website or term, the search engine returns results from its index that it believes are the most relevant to your search. The surface web includes news and informational websites (such as this blog), e-commerce sites, video-hosting platforms, and many other sorts of websites. While you may spend a lot of time on the surface web, it only accounts for roughly 4% of all internet traffic.

Deep Web

The majority of the internet is made up of the deep web, often known as the invisible or hidden web. These pages aren’t found in search engine results, but you probably visit them on a daily basis. The Deep Web includes:

Pages that need to be logged in to: The surface web includes home pages for social media sites, streaming services, email, and banking. You do, however, enter the deep web after you log in to your account.

Unindexed content: A website, page, or piece of content may be excluded from the list that search engines crawl, and hence will not appear in the search results. If you know the URL or are linked to it from another page, you can still visit non-indexed pages.

Secure Storage: Photo, video, research papers, medical information, and other data that is stored online but only accessible with the correct credentials make up a large part of the deep web.

Intranets: Businesses, schools, and governments can have their own private networks that are created specifically for their needs but are also connected to the internet. Employees could use this intranet to communicate, save files, and access informational pages about corporate policies.

For how we utilize the internet, the distinction between the surface and deep web is critical. After all, you don’t want your bank statements to show up in a Google search. However, because the deep web is still connected to the internet, a hacker may compromise a company’s security mechanisms and gain access to your personal data through a data breach.

Dark Web

The dark web is a subset of the deep web that requires special tools, software, or authorization to access. Search engines, like the deep web, do not index data on the dark web. The black web, like the rest of the internet, does not refer to a specific site or page. Instead, it’s a darknet, a form of network. A darknet could be created by setting up a secret and secure network with a group of people.

What Is the Dark Web and How Does It Work?

When most people talk about the dark web, they’re referring to the Tor network, which is one of the largest and most well-known darknets.

Tor, which stands for “The Onion Router,” bounces data through a series of encrypted layers (like an onion) to provide greater anonymity to users. On the Tor network, there are onion sites and services, and page addresses end in. onion.

Download and instal the free Tor browser to gain access to the dark web. (You may use it to search the surface and deep webs as well.) It’s totally legal, and the Tor Project, which created the browser, receives a lot of funding from the US government.

However, having a browser is only the first step. The dark web, unlike the surface online, lacks good search engines. You might have to look up the address of an onion site on your own, and the names aren’t easy to remember. The onion address for the CIA, for example, is ciadotgov4sjwlzihbbgxnqg3xiyrg7so2r2o3lt5wz5ypk4sxyjstad.onion, while for the nonprofit newsroom ProPublica, it’s propub3r6espa33w.onion.

These are two examples of legal businesses with dark web presences. The dark web, on the other hand, is primarily recognized for the unlawful activities that occurs there.

Why Are Criminals So Attracted to the Dark Web?

The Tor network helps you disguise your identity and allows you to construct and host onion services anonymously. As a result, criminals frequently buy and sell illicit goods and services on the dark web. Limited-time specials, user reviews, and adverts for organic items can all be found on darknet marketplaces, which are surprisingly similar to sites found on the surface web. Criminals, on the other hand, use these marketplaces to sell illegal goods and services such as drugs, firearms, and hacking software. On the dark web, many identity thieves and hacker groups make money by selling the information they stole. Depending on what’s being sold, the value of the information can vary dramatically. Full profiles, also known as fullz, might include a name, Social Security number, date of birth, and account numbers, and can cost anything from $8 to $30 per profile.

Medical records in their whole are extremely desirable to identity thieves, and can fetch up to $1,000. Cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, are the preferred payment method because they allow buyers and sellers to remain anonymous.