What is the Deep Web, Dark Net, Dark Web, Deep Net, Black Web, Black Net or Hidden Net?
The Deep Web is hidden online contents that require specialized software, knowledge or access to view. In other words, it’s the stuff you can’t get online unless you know someone, know something, or use something other than a standard browser. This is because you can’t access the Deep Web, Deep Net, or Black Net by just using a common browser like Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Safari, or Google Chrome.
A lot of people think the Deep Web or Hidden Web is TOR only, but the TOR network is one of the many aspects of the hidden web or Internet. There are other nonstandard networks such as I2P, Zeronet and Freenet that are part of the Deep Web. There are also non-web protocols and formats like IRC, and there are forums, chatrooms and other types of exchanges that are are part of the Deep Web but may be accessible on the standard Internet but require specialized knowledge or access to gain access to.
In order to view the TOR network online users need a specialized software called a TOR browser. The TOR network or browser is used to hide online users' locations and identities. Using TOR is not illegal, but using it to download illegal content, buy illegal drugs or commit other cyber crimes is a criminal offence.
How to Access the Deep Web, Dark Web or Dark Net?
According to researchers, only 4% of the internet is visible to the general public. Meaning that the remaining 96% of the internet is made up of “The Deep Web”.
Dark Web or Dark Net is a subset of the Deep Web where there are sites that sell drugs, hacking software, counterfeit money and more.
People looking to access hidden marketplace’s or Dark Net websites (with a .onion domain) use the TOR network with the TOR browser. TOR is the most widely used dark web browser. It may also be used with a VPN(Virtual Private Network) to provide additional anonymity, which makes it virtually impossible for hackers or law enforcement to track the locations of users of the Dark Net. A VPN is a software that is used to hide your location and identity by making you appear as if you are located in another country or location.
This article is for educational purposes only. It wasn't written to help online users gain access to the Deep web in order to commit cyber crimes.
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