What is the Dark Web and Should You Use it?

Millions of tech-lovers around the world are aware that multiple dimensions exist on the World Wide Web. The internet, to call it by its household name, does not solely consist of what we interact with, far from it. In fact, what we interact with and search for overall only makes up a few percent of the actual (estimated) size of the World Wide Web. There are indeed multiple “floors” on the internet itself, akin to hidden underground areas you would imagine Area 51 ( or e.g., a bank) would have. Because of this, several reasons exist why informing yourself about the dark web is useful.

The deeper parts of the internet are like a vast iceberg below the surface area -the area we all know and use every day. A lot is going on in the vast universe of the internet that 90% of us are unaware of. You might have heard about the mysterious darknet or “dark web” and want to learn more, or you may want to visit the dark web lair and find out for yourself (more on this later.) Likewise, you may want to understand what the “deep web” is. You could also be wondering whether it is safe to access the deeper parts of the web. Whatever your reason may be, read on below and find out more about this fascinating topic.

The Various Layers of the Internet

To draw on an analogy, the internet is much like our universe in its structure. It is a seemingly endless space that consists of unique planets and galaxies that form to make a whole. It also resembles a living organism in the same way. Remember, the internet has no central authority of control, and that’s why it is truly the only free platform of communication we have. That is not to say that law enforcement does not patrol the internet, but more so to underline that the internet has taken on a life of its own and it is still possible to be truly invisible on it. We can use a metaphor to illustrate this even better, by saying the internet is like a party with lots of people. All of the people are together, but also behave individually at the same time, and there is no single entity responsible for, or controlling, everyone. Yet, all parts contribute to the whole as well. This is the internet in a nutshell.

As for the structure of the internet, we can use yet another analogy to describe this. This would be the classic iceberg analogy, which consists of a top layer, an immediate layer beneath the water and a third layer much deeper down that completes the iceberg. The top layer is the surface web, the middle layer is the deep web, and finally, the dark web resides down below in the depths.

What is the Surface Web?

The surface web also called the “clear web”, is the internet that we interact with daily for activities such as e.g., email, social media, web browsing, shopping, and online searches. This part of the web is only a fraction of the entire platform. This layer is indexed by typical search engines, and only makes up about 10% of the entire internet’s size.

What is the Deep Web?

The deep web is the largest chunk of the internet and comprises the majority of it. We could compare this to a huge warehouse or factory where the inner workings of the internet are held and are not indexed by classical search engines. This content is mostly databases, unlisted items, and other storage databases. The deep web is not indexed by search engines but is not purposefully encrypted either.

What is the Dark Web?

The dark web, considered to be within the deep web that covers 90% of the entire size of the internet, is a purposefully encrypted layer of the internet that can only be accessed with search engines like Tor (The Onion Browser.) Much of the deep web, also called the darknet, contains extremely illicit and highly illegal material. Its users are hidden, and payments are also anonymized.

Should You be Using the Dark Web?

First of all, browsing the dark web in itself is not illegal, inasmuch as torrenting isn’t if you use it for downloading files legally and not breaking copyright rules. However, since the dark web is home to vast amounts of illegal material, the automatic assumption is that the user may be there to conduct an illegal activity or even terrorism. It is a place with no filters at all. The dark web is a place where you can shop for everything from weapons, drugs to hiring a hitman. At the same time, the dark web is practically the only place e.g., journalists wishing to remain anonymous. Even some companies and academic institutions benefit from the dark web these days.

Using the Tor browser (or any other onion browser for the dark web) is not illegal either, and you will not attract any attention to yourself unless you meddle in illegal or clandestine activities. Having said that, internet users are demanding more and more security and privacy every day, meaning that the menacing lair of the dark web is also the only place that can almost guarantee both complete privacy and complete security for anyone wishing to cloak themselves.

You can use the dark web, but make sure to avoid clicking on any links that seem to lead to “dark” things. Many people use the dark web for private research, private communications, and even private cryptocurrency transactions. If you happen to stumble on a shady website, make sure to close the tab immediately and avoid it in the future. As long as you stick to normal habits, you can use the dark web for your privacy as much as you like. Remember, using a VPN or Virtual Private Network when browsing the dark web will give you even greater peace of mind and disambiguate you from the process.