Dark Web vs. Deep Web: What's the Difference?

Dark Web vs. Deep Web:

What's the Difference?

Hello people from Hackforums or If you’ve just landed here, don’t hesitate to create account, join the community, and start learning or helping others. Today, I want to share some insights about the hidden side of the internet, in others countrys also called: The Black Internet.

The terms deep web and dark web seem very similar to each other, but there are certain, yet key differences between the two. It's extremely important to understand what each one of these represents, as it's easy to intertwine their meaning. With that in mind, here's a close look at what the deep web represents, and what is the dark web.


What's the dark web?
The dark web is basically a subsection of the deep web. It only includes websites that can be accessed via specialized browsers. These were specifically built with unique security measures and features in mind, with an effort to keep things obscure and decentralized. While it's possible to access the deep web just with a username or password, the dark web is meant to be a lot harder to access. You need specialized hardware or software for that.

Additionally, the dark web has key elements within its architecture:

• Dark web content traffic is restricted, thanks to using virtual traffic tunnels and a network architecture that was randomized on purpose.
  
• Another thing to note is that web crawlers do not index dark web traffic. That's done on purpose because firewalls and encryption tools prevent those tools from finding any dark web websites.
  
• Additionally, sites on the dark web have a unique registry operator. Because of that, dark web websites are not accessible via a regular browser.
  

A very common myth is that the dark web is only used for illegal activities. Sometimes, that can be true because hackers use some of these dark web sites to sell illegal services and information. However, the dark web can also be used for legitimate situations. For example, you can pass sensitive information to colleagues via the dark web, all while having encryption, firewalls, and improved security measures. With that in mind, enterprises rarely use the dark web.


What is the deep web?
The term deep web very much people gets confused with the dark web but they are not the same thing. The deep web is basically everything on the internet that's paywalled, password protected, or protected from crawling website´s robot.txt what is not indexed on search engines. Around 90% of the content found on the internet falls within that criteria. Whether we talk about checking our personal bank account online or visiting Netflix, these are great examples of the deep web at work.

While 90% of the web is basically the deep web, only 4% of the internet is found on public websites. The remaining 6% are in the dark web. Simply put, the deep web is private, and you need to be provided with access to the desired website.

Deep web use cases:

• A very common use case for the deep web would be paid subscriptions, These require a username and password so they can keep your content and information private and readily accessible.
  
• It can be used to track campaigns via special web developer tools.
  
• Routine uses like accessing social media or your bank account are extremely common, and some of the ways people use the deep web on a daily basis.
  
• Performing secure payments is another thing that we all do on the deep web!
  

Now, please don’t think that I’ve said absolutely everything about the Deep Web and Dark Web, but I’ve tried to be as specific as possible. Now, with all that being said if you want to access the dark web, you usually need a special browser like Tor Browser or also Tails OS.


However, accessing the deep web is something most people do and we do every day. It's important to change passwords and maintain unique credentials, just to avoid any accidental hacks. Clearly, in the deep web, whereas the dark web hosts dangerous, sometimes even illegal websites. It's very important to know what you're getting into and maintain a high level of safety, regardless of the use case!