What is Deep Web, Dark Web and Dark Net?

The internet is a vast place and contains a variety of information. If we look at the positive side, of course we will consider the internet as a solution to various problems in our lives, for example, if we are lazy to go out of the house to shop, then we can shop at online shops and don't have to leave the house. However, there are always good and bad things in this world, like black and white, up and down, that has become a natural law that cannot be challenged. Likewise the internet, behind all the solutions for life it offers, it turns out that the internet has its own dark side.

If you play it safe on the internet, maybe you won't even notice. If you only access social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and the Google search engine, maybe the negative side that you find is fraud or pornographic content. But, in the deeper parts of the internet there is something worse. The deepest part of the internet stores very inappropriate content and things, that's why these parts cannot be visited as easily as Facebook, Google or Instagram.

People usually call it the Deep Web, Dark Web, or Dark Net. Actually, each of these terms is different from one another, it's just that currently these terms are considered to point to one thing, namely the deepest part of the internet that stores content and information that is not worth visiting.

Deep Web, Dark Web, and Dark Net

The Deep Web is the part of the internet that is not detected by regular search engines like Google or Bing, while the part of the internet that is detected by search engines is called the surface web. From this brief explanation, it can be concluded that all parts and sites on the internet that cannot be indexed by search engines are included in the Deep Web. Does that mean local campus servers or even forum sites that need to register to view their content also include the Deep Web? Yes, it is true.

Another case with the Dark Web and Dark Net. Dark Net is an overlay network that makes us need special methods and configurations to get into it. That's why web browser applications such as Opera Mini, Chrome, UC Browser or even Puffin which can access sites blocked by the government will not be useful here. Well, sites or content on the Dark Net is usually called the Dark Web. Dark Web is part of the Deep Web. So, if we talk about the deepest sites on the internet that have terrible content and cannot be accessed carelessly by the public, then we are talking about the Dark Web.

That is the understanding I got after reading on Wikipedia.

Computer scientist Michael K. Bergman is credited with coining the term Deep Web in 2001 as a search-indexing term. The terms Deep Web and Dark Web began to be confused about their meanings after the Deep Web was brought up in a discussion about illegal activity on the freenet and Dark Net. Since then, the media have begun to equate the terms Deep Web and Dark Web, especially in articles about the Silk Road site, a Dark Web site that is a place to buy drugs.

What's on the Dark Web?

As explained above, the Deep Web is just sites that search engines cannot index. While the Dark Web is a site that cannot be indexed by search engines and must use certain methods to visit it. The Dark Web is part of the Deep Web, so actually calling Dark Web sites like Silk Road that I mentioned above as Deep Web sites is also not wrong, but if you want to be more specific, calling them Dark Web sites is the right choice.

One way to enter the Dark Web is with the Tor web browser (The Onion Router) and Dark Web sites that can be accessed with Tor mostly use the onion domain. Below is data on Dark Web sites using onion domains in 2016, remember these are only sites using onions not all Dark Web sites.

Some of the Dark Web content that is well known to many people is illegal pornography such as child pornography, hitman services, buying and selling drugs, buying and selling weapons, hacking services, as well as sadistic and disturbing videos. Apart from that, there may be various other illegal and terrible content that have not been exposed because as we know on the internet, compared to content that is open to the public, there is actually more hidden content. Transactions on the Dark Web usually use bitcoin, a type of electronic money whose transactions are difficult to trace.

The Hidden Wiki is the most visited Dark Web site for ordinary people who want to dabble in the Dark Web. The Hidden Wiki is an information collection site like Wikipedia but the information is very sensitive and seems inappropriate.

Is the Dark Web Dangerous?

Visiting the Dark Web is actually not dangerous as long as we just look around. If you visit a site on the Dark Web that requires you to register, then you should register using fake data or if it's better, just leave the site. Remember, don't enter your data on the Dark Web such as addresses, names, let alone a photo of your face.

You also may not download anything from Dark Web sites, be it pictures, photos, videos, let alone obscure files. This is just in case you're afraid that the file you downloaded contains a virus that can damage your device. Like I said, just have a look and you guys will be fine.

There is a myth that if we visit the Dark Web we will be targeted by assassins. This is clearly wrong, a hitman will kill if he is paid, so what are they targeting us for if no one pays, whoever wants to pay for it.

So, visiting the Dark Web is not dangerous as long as you comply with the things that are prohibited above. Remember, don't be careless when you're on the Dark Web, even though the horrors of the Dark Web seem like mere figment, in fact some horrible things on the Dark Web have been proven true.