The World Wide Web is a part of the Internet that consists of pages. That is, we can browse with the help of a Web browser. The word Internet, on the other hand, refers to a global network that allows people to share information through it. So, while the Web makes up a substantial part of the Internet, they are not the same thing. The Web that most people use daily and for their normal everyday activities is the surface web.
This surface web or “indexed” web is what we use daily. When we search for something with Google, we look through the Web that Google has indexed. We use this part of the internet to conduct our daily tasks. It is where we do our daily online activities. More importantly, it is what most people think of as the Internet.
Ever wondered why we call it the surface web? The reason for that is simple, the surface web is just a small fraction of the entire world wide web. That is, the real bulk of data rests in the Deep and Dark Web. Both of these combined makes up well over 90% of the Internet. In this article, we will tell you about the deep and dark webs. As well as some differences between them.
What is the deep web?
Deep Web is a collective term for all of the Internet. It is not a part of a Surface Web. Companies and individuals keep it intentionally concealed from the outside world. It also disallows indexing by normal search engines. Also, it is the Internet's fastest-growing collection of data. Estimates show that the total amount of data on the deep web is several thousand times larger than that of the surface web. Dictionary.com defines it as "the fraction of the internet. It is hidden and not visible to traditional search engines, as a result of encryption; the collection of unindexed websites."
The deep web refers to all non-indexed pages. It implies that most search engines will not provide them to you after a search. These pages are de facto hidden to these search engines since their crawlers do not see them. This shows that to visit these kinds of pages, you must either know the precise URL (link) or click on a different link after you have entered the deep web.
As ominous as that may sound, it mostly consists of encrypted data. This includes all Netflix movies, all social media accounts. Also, the content, all secured cloud backups, medical, financial, and legal information, and even any private YouTube videos. It would be pointless to index these aspects of the internet.
However, there are problems. Owners of collections hide it behind password protections and state of the art encryptions. This makes it impossible for search engines or anyone to crawl through it.
What is the dark web?
The dark web is a section of the world wide web. It is frequently mentioned in popular cultures, such as television series and movies. It is a part of the deep web, but only a small part of it (about 0.01 percent). There are thousands of sites on the dark web, and they are easily accessible to the general public, so long as you have a link to said website. To access the Dark Web, users must utilize certain software (such as Tor, Freenet, and I2P). These tools make it possible to connect to the dark web. But it also makes users anonymous while using these services, making them fully untraceable. This is why the dark web is home to a wide range of illicit enterprises, including drug trafficking, illegal pornography, weapon trading, and even frauds, among other things.
Nevertheless, the dark web is not only for criminals. It also allows activists, whistleblowers, and journalists to express themselves without fear of being "monitored." One of the most popular pieces of software used to access the dark web is Tor. The US government developed Tor to ensure privacy when browsing the Internet, and while criminals do use it for illicit activities, it also makes its users anonymous while browsing the surface web. It does so by routing your traffic through several layers of routers one after another, similar to an onion. Which is precisely why the Tor Project stands for “The Onion Routing” Project.
The dark web's reputation has tainted it severely, modern media sees using it as an intent to commit a crime or to access unlawful material. Law enforcement agencies believe it to be responsible for accessing "trading" sites where users may buy illegal items or services. Which is true, but not everyone does so. Most people use Tor simply due to curiosity or to circumvent the bans enforced by their local authorities.
The differences between the deep web and the dark web
Now that we have the core concepts explained, let us delve into the differences between the so called dark and deep webs.
People often confuse the two terms with one another, often using one while meaning the other. But one thing is for sure, even when misused, most people use the terms to actually refer to the dark web rather than the deep web. This is because of how the deep web is inaccessible without proper authentication, making it pointless to even attempt accessing it in most scenarios.
Difference in accessing
Since most of the deep web is actually just part of the wider internet, accessing it is no different than accessing any other website. So long as you have an internet browser, you can access the deep web. Provided that you already know the URL of what you are attempting to access. Not to mention that you will need proper authentications as well. The deep web is where most hacking takes place as hackers attempt to circumvent these restrictions and authentication requirements.
On the other hand, the dark web requires special services like Tor to access, without which you cannot connect to these websites at all. For example, the URLs of dark web sites end with “.onion” as opposed to the standard “.com” or “.net.” Even if you have the URL of a dark web page, you cannot access it unless you first connect to Tor and are using a browser that can properly navigate through the onion network.
Content differences
As we said earlier, the deep web contains content that is mostly encrypted content, databases, and entire sites that disallow bots and crawlers from indexing their content. For example, YouTube allows you to upload unlisted videos which are not visible in search. But if someone does have a link to the video, they will be able to access it. There are numerous comparable services that keep your content private and inaccessible to everyone except those that you share the link with or allow access to.
On the other hand, the dark web works by hosting their websites completely outside of the real internet. Even if you have a link to the dark web site, you will not be able to open it without first connecting to the network that hosts said website. For example, if you wish to open an onion site, you first need to connect to the onion router and only then will you be able to access onion sites.
Security and privacy
This is the biggest difference between these two parts of the internet. Because the deep web exists alongside the surface web, there is no difference in privacy. If you are not protecting yourself by using a VPN service like VPN Proxy Master, then you are exposing your IP address alongside your other browsing habits to anyone who visits your website. If you attempt to access any deep web sites without a VPN, they will not only find out your IP address but also be able to restrict access based on it.
On the other hand, software that connects you to the dark web will also add in some layers of security to ensure your anonymity. While this is often times enough, your internet service provider and local law agencies do know that you are connecting to the dark web routers while doing so. Which is why we recommend that before connecting to Tor, you connect to VPN Proxy Master and hide your activity from anyone monitoring your connection.
Get VPN Proxy Master
We are recommending VPN Proxy Master here. The main reason is because of their focus on privacy and security. VPN Proxy Master ensures your internet connection remains encrypted. That is to say, your traffic is impossible to monitor. All this while diverting your traffic through their servers. So that any of your deep or dark web remains anonymous. Doing so hides your IP address from any service that you are using. It means that even if you are snooping around in the deepest parts of the internet, you will be doing so with complete anonymity.
In addition to all of these benefits, VPN Proxy Master is also available on handheld devices, and you can use it simultaneously on up to six devices at once. We honestly consider that to be an excellent deal. Especially considering the added benefits of using a premium VPN service. What benefits you may ask? You can access Netflix libraries of other countries while also protecting yourself as you browse the dark & deep web. Is that not worth it?
