What secrets are hidden behind the dark web: the difference from the deep web

The dark web is not as scary as you might think. This article explains the difference between the dark web and the deep web, and how to use them.

When you look up at the sky, what do you see? A blazing sun, a cloud, and the occasional plane. The sky doesn't seem to have much, but there are more things that the eye can't see, far beyond our field of vision.

This is why the universe is an apt metaphor for the World Wide Web. Both are constantly expanding and changing - and completely misunderstood. No matter how much one explores, one can never fully grasp what is going on outside.

Before exploring the periphery of cyberspace, start from scratch: the origins of the Internet.

Related:What is the Dark Web Threat Index

A Brief History of the World Wide Web

Before the Internet, there was ARPANET, a computer network used by the US government in the 1970s to share sensitive data. About a decade later, the limited network of ARPANET gave way to the single global network we call the Internet.

However, the Internet as we know it didn't appear until 1991. At the time, a British programmer used the World Wide Web as a place to store information, not just send and receive it. Gone are the days of just using the internet to send emails or post articles in forums. Now users can create and find web pages for almost any content.

With the popularity of the World Wide Web, users faced a new problem: learning to navigate. Then came Google (and its predecessors), giving users a starting point for web searches. With the help of search engines, users can finally explore cyberspace without getting lost.

why google can't find everything

Today's largest search engines are far more proficient than they were 20 years ago, and they can predict your searches, interpret multi-word queries, and serve trillions (yes, we say trillions) of web pages.

Yet despite Google's web prowess, it and other search engines have very limited knowledge of what's out there. (Some researchers say that search engines only showAround 1% of what's actually available online!)

Search engines work by "crawling" links on a website. If a site owner does not wish to find a page on their site, the page will not contain a direct link to that page. If a web page has no links, it cannot be crawled or indexed in Google's vast search base. The page will not appear as a search engine result.

surface network

Since search engines scan the surface of the content available online, the websites they display on the results page are part of what is known as the Surface Web. Using Google is like scanning the horizon with the naked eye. Sure, there's a lot to absorb, but you can only see a small slice of what's going on in the world.

deep net

when you findWhen a search engine like Google cannot access a page, then you are usingdeep net. AlthoughDeep WebIt sounds intimidating, but believe it or not, we use it every day. For example, when searching for a place on Airbnb, or comparing plane flights on Expedia, the Deep Web is used. You're also using the Deep Web when logging into your email account, online bank account, or Amazon account.

Whenever you log into your account or search for information directly on the web, that information doesn't appear in Deep Web content on search engines, which is a good thing.

For example, if someone Googled your name, you certainly wouldn't want your bank information or Amazon wish list to show up in the results. Because this information is private, those sensitive web pages cannot be crawled by search engines.

Using the Deep Web is like seeing the world from an airplane. At such a high altitude, there is a wider vantage point than a friend on Earth.

How to access the deep web

It's easy, justGo to TruthFinder, enter someone's name, and press Enter, and the results displayed are the Deep Web Resource Database from TruthFinder. Use TruthFinder's Guardian to find out if any of your information has been leaked on the dark web.

Google will redirect you to something like TruthFinderPublic Record Searchengine, but will not show you specific public records related to the name you are searching for. These records are kept by local, state and federal databases that Google cannot display in search results. To access this public records database, you must actually search a third-party provider, such as TruthFinder.

darknet

Dark WebStill under the umbrella of the Deep Web; it's only a small part of the Deep Web. The dark web or "dark web" uses masked IP addresses to intentionally hide web pages from search engines, web search forms, and even standard web browsers. In fact, according toWiredAccording to Andy Greenberg, the dark web in the deep webThe proportion is less than 0.01%.

The deep web is that part of cyberspace that only a small percentage of internet users have access to. If a typical internet browser can see from the ground or from an airplane, then Deep Web users can see from space. They are the astronauts of the internet, the widest vantage point in the internet world.

How to access the dark web

Dark web sites are so focused on anonymity that they require a special web browser to access them.

Most dark web sites in the US use the TOR network (short for The Onion Router). A TOR network is a collection of "voluntary" computer networks that send a user's encrypted traffic to multiple servers before extracting the content. As a result, a user's browsing session becomes so cluttered that their identity and location are virtually untraceable.

The good, bad and downright ugly of the dark web

Because the TOR network allows users to browse anonymously, it is used by agents, law enforcement officials, activists, researchers, whistleblowers, and users banned from the Internet.

Wikileaks is a notorious dark web, which allows whistleblowers to anonymously upload confidential information to the media. While the legality of leaking classified information is a hot topic in the United States, no formal charges have been filed against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. (He did, however, receive warrants for rape and sexual harassment charges against two women in 2010.)

Even Facebook has a dark website. In October last year, the social media giant launched a Tor hiding service so that users could avoid surveillance or censorship.

However, anonymity also has a dark side. The TOR network can also be used to hide the identities of users involved in criminal activity.

Here are the types of illegal operations you can find on the TOR network:

• Sell unlicensed firearms
• child pornography
• A Guide to Selling Malware, Pirated Software and Hacking
• sale of illegal drugs
• Identity Hacking and Selling Stolen Credit Card Information and User Accounts
• Sale of counterfeit documents and currency
• Hire a Killer
• gamble
• money laundering
• secret deal

The Silk Road is the most famous source of nefarious activity on the dark web. Dubbed "Drug Amazon," the site sold high-end illegal drugs -- that is, until it was shut down by the FBI. Evolution, Agora Marketplace, and Nucleus Marketplace are three other examples of popular black market sites.

Get the best view with deep web search

Having covered all of the cyberspace above, here’s a brief review of how deep you can go online:

1. Surface Web:Web pages that appear in search engine results. If you can find it in a Google search, it's usually part of Surface Web.
2. Deep Web:Everything that search engines can't access. Deep web pages include information protected by logins, website databases, or pages without links.
3. Dark Web: The Deep WebA small anonymous niche, deliberately hidden from search engines. It requires a special web browser for users to access.

The next time you do a Google search, you'll see a very limited version of what's available in web space. Of course, it should be nice not to see it all. But to get a good sense of what's going on outside requires access to a database that Google can't reveal.

existTruthFinder searches the deep web, discover details about almost anyone, including yourself, pulled directly from public records, including property ownership, social media profiles, location history, and even criminal records.

You can also use TruthFinder to monitor through Guardian's dark webto pay close attention to your personal information. Data breaches are becoming more common in the digital age, and your sensitive information will be sold to the highest bidder on the dark web.

That means your credit card information, medical ID numbers, and even Social Security numbers are vulnerable -- but with dark web monitoring, you'll instantly find out if your data has been compromised. Then, you can take action to protect yourself from your identity falling into the wrong hands.

Signing up for TruthFinder is easy. Just enter any name below to start your first search. What will you find?