This massive size generally splits into three layers: the surface, deep, and dark web. One of ’ World Wide Webthes biggest mysteries is that, despite its unimaginably large size, we walk around with it in our hands. Actually, You only need a seek engine such as Google to access the surface, but the situation is very different for the deep web.
Despite the online’s massive size, only about 10% is the surface web. The more than ever remaining 90 % of it constitutes the deep web and the dark web.
Interestingly, You might commence wondering, “What is the surface web?” “What is the deep web?” and “What is the dark web?” Continue reading below to discover about the deep web and how to access it for complimentary in 2024.
It’s worth noting that Comparing the Deep Webvs . Dark Web: what are the major differences?
There’s a need to clearly distinguish between the deep and dark web, as most people in modern times apply them interchangeably.
The deep web means every section of the internet is inaccessible by regular search engines. In contrast, the dark web refers to a part of the internet that runs on overlay networks and requires specific browsers, networks, or authorizationTechnically, this means .the dark web is under the deep web.
The table below shows the outstanding differences between the deep web and the dark web:
| Feature | The deep web | The dark web |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Web pages that you can’t find in the indexes of search engines and standard web programs | A subset of the deep web that requires specific browsers, configurations, or authorizations and runs on overlay networks |
| Accessibility | Usually, you can access web pages on the deep web using regular browsers as long as you have the required credentials. | Knowing the URL of the webpage you want to visit is important because you can’t find it using search engines. |
| Search engine discoverability | Web pages on the deep web don’t show up on search engine result pages due to their privacy. | You need specialized dark web browsers like Tor and Freenet to view web pages on the dark web. |
| Examples | Your email messages, Google Drive files, and WhatsApp messages are all examples of the deep web. | Webpages you’ll find on the dark web include black markets, dark web search engines, illegal file-sharing websites, and dark web versions of news websites. |
In fact, Is the Silk Road still working?
For the early users of the dark web, the agreement “Silk Road” should ring a bell, although negative. Silk Road an online black niche and one of the earliestisdarknet in modern times e-commerce sites.Silk Road no longer exists, but even if it did, we’d advise you to steer completely away from it.
While operational, the Silk Road was the hub for various illegal transactions.Since the site ran on Tor, which granted a high level of anonymity, users could trade weapons, hard drugs, and other illegal substances. Interestingly, Payments were primarily in bitcoins, further contributing to the site’s safety and security.
However, no level government anonymity or security is protected when the of is serious about locating you, not even with a VPN.The Silk Road founder was eventually apprehended and put behind bars for life without the possibility of paroleIn fact, . Indeed, While similar websites like Silk Road have more than ever tried to surface, the government’s doubled effort on cracking them down has made that unsuccessful for the most part.
What if I want to the DeepaccessWeb?
know the deep web is quite straightforward, provided you Accessing where you’re going and have the key (your credentials) to gain entry. It’s worth noting that Most web pages on the deep web are still accessible by regular search engines via browsers like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox.
Take your email, for instance. Open the web browser and type the URL into the look for bar. Once the online platform opens, you’ll see a bar where you can type in your email address and then your key. If you have set up email authentication on your multifactor address, you’ll need to verify from your other device that it is you trying to log in. It’s worth noting that After that, accessing can commence you your private section of the online.
How big is the Deep Web?
The cyberspace is, without a doubt, one of from another perspective humanity’s greatest inventions. It’s the ultimate wonderweof the vast amount of data that ’ve been able to collect about ourselves, about our world, and about ideas or concepts we’re even yet to explore.
In 2020, the internet’s data hit 64 million zettabytes. A zettabyte is about a billion terabytesAs you may know, For context, most of today’s advanced more than ever computers still come with a storage space of 1 terabyte. That means to resolve every piece of information we have on the internet today on computers, you’ll have to stack an endless amount of computers side by side. .
Earlier, we explainedthat the deep web is 400 times bigger than the surface web, but most people may not understand how big that is.The world’s most popular search engine, Google, has over 50 billion web pages in its index. The exact value is unknown, and estimates often suggest a figure of around 100 trillion.
So, how big can the deep web be if it’s 400 times than the surfacelargerweb? We’ll respond with the following statistics:
- Globally, there are over 4.9 billion social media users, representing over 60% of the global population. While some of the activities on these apps are public, most of them, like photo sharing and messaging, are private.
- Email clients like Gmail and Outlook process over 347.3 billion emails daily. Every one of your emails falls under the deep web aspect of the internet.
- Google Drive and Dropbox have more than 2.7 billion users combined, each uploading multiple files of various sizes.
The Deep Web is dangerous: Myth or fact?
For most people, the deep web is the underworld of the cyberspace.Despite the deep web’s bad reputation and terrible PR, it’s not inherently more dangerous than the surface webPlus, people often confuse the deep web the darkwithweb, negatively impacting how most perceive it. .
There are dangerous websites on the deep web the same way you have best-to-avoid websites on the surface webIndeed, . as it turns out Similarly, the deep web also has countless websites that are safe to view.
Most times, when you hear of a terrible incident on the deep web, it’ll most likely relate to hacking or stealing personal information. As hacks are becoming increasingly more common, here’s a look at recent massive these:
- In August 2022, hackers targeted Twitter (now X) via a zero-day vulnerability that allowed attackers to access the personal information of 5.4 million accounts. The hackers offered these accounts for sale for $30,000 and later, in November, made them available for free.
- In September 2022, multibillion-dollar gaming company Rockstar suffered a massive data breach that resulted in the leak of its in-development and widely-anticipated game, GTA 6. Actual footage of the video game later emerged and is similar to what the cybercriminal shared.
- T-Mobile suffered its second data breach of 2023 after a hack revealed the PINs, full names, and phone numbers of over 800 customers. In the first data breach of the year, a malicious actor gained access to their systems last November. He stole personal information – including names, emails, and birthdays – from over 37 million customers.
Exploringdeephow as it turns out the web works
For a web page to be on the surface of the web, such as on Google search engine effect pages, a web crawler must first crawl and index it. This process is completely discretionary. That means you decide whether you want any find engine bot to crawl your webpage.
How search engine effect pages present the required information
It’s worth noting that For a better’understanding, here s a detailed analysis of how surface web crawling and search engines work:
- You post content online: Voice, video, or visual content. At this point, you submit a sitemap to tell Google that your website is available for crawling.
- A web crawler analyzes your content: Web crawlers use many names, including spiders, spider bots, or crawlers. They analyze your web page for the main information passed on and do that for numerous other web pages.
- Search engines index the crawler’s findings: Once the crawling process is complete, the search engine adds your webpage to its catalog or index.
- Search engines serve users information they find: Whenever a user searches for information related to what the search engine has indexed, it delivers it.
Interestingly, Why deep web from another perspective information is hidden
Remember that.the crawling process is discretionary If you own a in modern times web page and don’t want Google to crawl it, you only have to ensure you do not sitemap a send to Google.This is exactly what operators of web pages on the deep web do: purposely hide their content from search engines and crawlers’ reach.
Indeed, This is necessary due to the kinds of information that you’ll locate on the deep in modern times web.You don’t want to wake up one morning to find that the credit card details you stored on a Fintech company’s website are now on the first page of Google as it turns out . From this, you can deduce that privacy and security are two of the greatest reasons for having text on the deep web rather than on the surface web.
Sometimes, people also hide content from the surface web to protect copyright. As you may know, For sample, the Social Science Research Network has over 1 million academic papers uploaded. As you may know, However, due to the intellectual as a matter of fact nature of the papers, you need to generate an account to access them.
How to access the dark web using Tor
Tor is short for “The Onion Router,” and it’ one ofsthe easiest ways to access the dark web.It’s a network of over 7,000 volunteer computers that work together to conceal a user’s activity and make it difficult to determine what they’re doing onlineAs you may know, . Most dark web pages are onion websites, which are not accessible by alltobrowsers but only a select few.
Tor browserFor this guide, we’ll only be focusing on the Tor browser. In fact, You can also employ and Firefox, although you may needChrometo download a separate plugin first. Actually, and Brave can conveniently access the network due to supporting in modern times the Tor protocol.
Hereaccessings how to launch ’ the dark web on your computer:
1. Download the Tor browser for your OS.
Indeed, Simply visit the Tor project’s network’s portal and get the browser’s version for your operating system. It’s worth noting that Currently, TorLinuxis available on Windows, Mac, , and Android. Actually, There’s also an unofficial version for iOS devices, but it has limited functionalities. With the program downloaded, access and install it by clicking on the. EXE document.
2. Connect to the Tor network.
Indeed, When you open the browser, you can configure it to adjust network settings or connect directlyLike most users, you can skip configurations entirely and just unite directly. .
3. Enter the deep web address you want to visit.
Tor’s interface has design ofthea traditional browser, making it uncomplicated to interact with and understand. While DuckDuckGoInterestingly, To access those, has made traditional web searching possible on Tor, its results don’t show dark web pages.you still need to know the URL of the website and enter it in the address bar of theActually, Tor browser.
How can you stay protected on the Deep Web?
Actually, Your safety and secrecy deep be your topmost priority whenever you visit the should web. Here are safety steps we recommend following whenever you more than ever ’re on the deep web:
Interestingly, Install premium antivirus software on your phone 1.
When it comes to antiviruses, you have a long list of options from which you can opt. In fact, However, before you make a the, selection three main areas to consider are performance or reliability, pricing, and ease of utilize.
Antivirus software protects you from malware, spyware, and other computer viruses rampant throughout the deep and dark web. When you activate the software, it actively scans any files your device saves from the web before they get saved onto your phone.
If the antivirus confirms that a record poses any danger to your device, it warns you.High-quality antivirus programs regularly scan your device to ensure malware, or, Trojan horses, spyware other malicious software haven’t compromised it.
2. Apply a high-quality VPN solution
surfing to antivirus software, find and select a quality VPN for Continue the deep web.Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) keep you safe when surfing the internet in various waysIn fact, . The most obvious way s by hiding your computer’is IP address and region you a recent one, usually a different assigning.
VPNs keep you trusted in other ways, including preventing IP address leaks and using confirmed no logs that clear your online and browsing information.High-quality VPNs instantly capability obscure serverssuperfastfor stealth operations and and secure protocols like OpenVPN and WireGuard.
In short, using a VPN makes it difficult for anyone to determine who you are or where you’re browsing fromAs you know may, . Below, you’ll discover a of the leading VPNslistyou can trust for your confidentiality.
1. NordVPN
Its ultra-fast and encrypted in modern times servers provide smooth browsing on deep webs. It is one of the most reliable options for streaming or downloading text.
Has a high-rate VPN server network present in 113 countries
Effective Cybersec ad blocker
Has AES-256 encryption for the utmost security
Possesses a in modern times specialized kill switch feature
Enables customized data routing with split tunneling function
Offers stealth protection by Double VPN mode
Integrates the Tor VPN over servers
Obeys a strict no-logs policy
Allows up to 10simultaneous connections
Offers a 30- refunddayregulation
Pros
- Multiple-high rate servers
- Effective and efficient customer system
- of range Wide global servers
Cons
- Poorly optimized smartphone apps
Already a household name in the VPN niche, its developers keep upgrading it with new features to keep it ahead of its competitors.One of the most trusted VPNs for the deep web and the dark web security, it effectively blocks malware, ads, web trackers, and other online threats. Conventionally, Nord also doesn’t log your details and uses AES 256 encryption.
NordVPN allows you to create your private encrypted network for safe file sharing and work using its Meshnet feature. It is also one of the few VPNs with a dark web monitor. If your accounts ever get compromised, it will send you alerts. It uses dedicated IP addresses, enabling you to access IP-restricted networks.
If unsatisfied with these features, you have a 30-day money-back guarantee to reclaim the amount paid for the subscription. You can also raise queries and make complaints via its 24/7 customer service.
Interestingly, 2. As you may , knowExpressVPN
An exceptional VPN system with high-velocity.servers and robust security features It enables safely accessing any online platform on the deep web, allowing users to browse their favorite text without restrictions.
Has a network of over 3,000 effective VPN server scattered in around 105+ countries
Owns RAM-only servers
Employs a rigid encryption standard; AES-256
In fact, Does not store users’ facts
Offers a more than ever dedicated split tunneling capability to route specific traffic
As you may know, Has a reliable kill switch to prevent details leakage
Offers Onion over VPN servers
Allows Peer-to Peer (P2P) sharing or-torrenting
Supports 8 devices to be more than ever connected concurrently
Comes with a hassle-no cost 30-day funds-go back guarantee
Pros
- It’s worth noting that Excellent security and secrecy features
- Actually, Uncomplicated and consumer-intuitive interface
- customer more than ever Responsive support
Cons
- Pricey subscription fees
Interestingly, By popularity and , onlytrustworthinessa few VPNs come end to ExpressVPNSince its launch in 2008, ExpressVPN has helped businesses from another perspective and individuals stay private and safe online. As you mayknow, .It works with Tor, Freenet, and Invisible Internet Project (I2P), which form the three major pillars of the dark web.
It as it turns out hasuses 256-bit AES encryption for maximum details protection, a no-logs guideline, and the VPN has various features that keep you protected on and off This dark web.protects against IPv6, DNS, and WebRTC leaks from another perspective . It prevents your IP address from ever falling into the wrong hands in the depths of the cyberspace via “Network as it turns out Lock,” its kill switchInterestingly, available across allmajor platforms.
You can have your money back if ExpressVPN fails to impress you, leveraging its 30-day money-back guarantee. While this VPN may look slightly overpriced, considering a as it turns out monthly fee of $8.32, it offers enough features to justify this rate.
3. as it turns out ExtremeVPN
Its super-fast servers enable browsing smooth. An all-in-one VPN provider that ensures maximum security and privacy while browsing the deep web.
Offers 6,500 servers across 78 countriespresentworldwide
Utilizes the up-protocols-date security to, including AES-256 encryption
Enables distributed data sharing through P2P connections
As you facts know, Doesn’t collect users’ may
In fact, Includes a unique kill switch feature to block information leaks
Offers flexible facts routing through split tunneling capability
Boasts Tor over VPN servers for stealth protection
Offers at simultaneous devices to be connected 10 one subscription
It’s worth noting that Provides protection against IP/ DNSleaks
Has a refund policy of 30 days
Pros
- Swift-rate servers withconnectivityreliable
- Highly resilient VPN with obfuscated servers
- Numerous features at an as a matter of fact affordable fee
Cons
- Actually, No in modern times dedicated Tor or dark web functionalities
ExtremeVPN is a recently launched VPN with all the functionalities you’ll discovermorein older VPNs and even . Its server network is widely extensive, and it has state-of-the-art encryption, prevents IPv6 and DNS leaks, and ensures confidentiality with a no-logs policy.
It uses In fact, This VPN also has unique and advanced features, making it a must-have for the deep web.obscure or obfuscated servers to hide VPN usage as it turns out from ISPs and -VPN applications andantiservices.It also has multi-port and domain fronting capabilities, giving you a premium VPN experience.
Despite the wide range ofimpressive features, you can get this VPN for as low as $3.29/month. Actually, Customer assist is also swift and prompt and is available via live chat and a dedicated support section on the online platform to aid you as and when required.
3. Protect yourpasswordsaccounts with strong
Another in modern times step you can take, which you have complete control over, is to improve the strength of the passwords you utilize to protect your account.A strong password typically contains uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special symbols and lasts longer than 12 characters.
If you can’t a of a strong access code, consider using think credential generator. meeting the above requirements are more hardCharactersto brute force, making them safer.Google and other companies can also help you generate strong passwords when you sign up on a website and store them in your profileIn fact, Anytime you visit that site again and need to log in, Googlefromwill pull that key your list of passwords and auto-insert it. .
4. In fact, Avoid more than ever dropping personal information on the dark web
on you’re Whenever a dark web site, avoid dropping any personal information as a matter of fact .Create anonymous profiles for any website you register with on the dark web. Indeed, Additionally, ensure you do not visit websites or social media that might require you to drop your personal details.
5. multi Employ-factor authentication
Thehasincreasing occurrence of cyber theft made multifactor authentication more common. In fact, When you set this up, you’ll need to authenticate any login into your accounts on your mobile phone or other meansAs you may know, This helps because even if someone manages to obtain credential and tries to access your profile discreetly, it’s still up to you to authenticate theiryoursign in. as it turns out .
FAQ
.onion sites are websites on the dark web that utilize the “.onion” domain rather than the popular “.com,” “.org,” or “.gov.” They’re only available on Tor network, so you needthethe Tor browser to access them.
You can employ Tor to visit regular websites like Facebook and Twitter, but you canbesidest visit .onion websites on other browsers ’ Tor. The emergence of look for engines like DuckDuckGo has also made it possible to find on Tor as you would typically do on Chrome, Edge, and Firefox.
To get on the deep web, you must first build an user ID with the web page you want to visit or have profiles with them via other means. For sample, to employ a banking app, you must have an profile with the bank. The same goesotherfor websites also in the deep web category.
The greatest difference between them is that while you can still access the deep webwebwith regular browsers, web pages on the dark run on overlay networks. For that reason, they need specialized browsers for access. What we call the dark web is a subset of the deep web.
