Internet, a place or rather a network that we all are connected to constantly. An internet connection helps people to share and communicate information be in any part of the world. But the whole web of connections has more layers to it, than people with common knowledge would understand. There is what we hear of the deep web and also dark web. What do these terms mean? Can we access these seemingly secretive networks or is it legal to even access them? These are some of the questions that tag along with these connections. In this article, we will help you to understand both dark web, deep web and how are they different from each other. Instagram, TikTok and YouTube Profiles of 235 Million Users Leaked on Dark Web in Massive Data Breach: Report.

What is Dark Web?

Dark web is a network, a collection of websites that have hidden IP addresses and may require a specific software to access. It is that part of the internet which is not visible to your regular search engines. To access the dark web one needs to an anonymising browser called Tor. What is ‘Deepfake Video?’ Know Everything About the Face Swap AI Technology, Will Fake News be Uncontrollable?

How to Access and Is it Illegal: These are the immediate questions whenever people look into the dark web. Accessing the dark web is not illegal however, it has been used for several illicit activities which is why one should be careful. As mentioned above, one need a browser called Tor to access into the dark web. It is one of the most popular networks to access into the hidden part of the internet. Dark web is used for several purposes, in case an anonymity of the source has to be maintained. Or some just use to have their stuff extremely private without anyone spying on them. But hackers also do a lot of their activity on the dark web.

What is Deep Web?

As per the dictionary definition, deep web is "the portion of the Internet that is hidden from conventional search engines, as by encryption; the aggregate of unindexed websites." It means it is not accessible to everyone using the internet. These are websites that are non-indexed meaning not registered with any search engines, so you cannot possibly find them. Medical records, fee-based content, membership websites, and confidential corporate web pages are some examples of what makes the deep web.

Difference Between Dark Web and Deep Web

Both the terms dark web and deep web have been used interchangeably but they are not the same. Deep web refers to anything on the internet that is not indexed by and, therefore, accessible via a search engine like Google. Dark web is a subset of the deep web which is hidden intentionally. There are special search engines for the dark webs which keep constantly changing. On the dark web there are lot of illegal operations like fraud sites that are selling stolen account information such as credit card numbers or PayPal account information. There could be the sale of illegal drugs, fake IDs, fake passports, child pornography.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 11, 2020 11:01 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).