You don’t have to be a web wizard to have heard the stories of the dark, fantastical Deep Web. You know, the websites or Deep Web search engines where criminals and hackers collude to steal identities, change stock prices, or shut down a site of their choosing. The Deep Web history goes back a long way, but its presence has only recently been told as scary Internet campfire stories. However, the Deep Web is not only much larger than these stories imply, but it’s also much more benign in nature than many have been led to believe.
Let’s take a dive into the deep end of information superhighway.
Exploring the History of the Deep Web
Very simply, the Deep Net is a part of the Internet that has not been indexed by search engines. When using any typical search engine, you type in an inquiry and milliseconds later, receive the results of your search. Although it may seem like your search was fruitful, the information that appears in your search results is actually only a fraction what exists on the surface Internet, that’s why we call this the Surface Web.
Most people will only ever interact with the Surface Web, but for those who are professionally curious or technologically inclined, there is much more out there in terms of data and websites to explore on the Hidden Web. In fact, some have estimated that about 90% of the actual content on the Internet exists somewhere in Deep Webspace.
Although the Hidden Web is a diverse and colorful world, it is not innately nefarious in nature. For example, many academic databases for libraries or universities are stored on the Deep Web. Or, if you’ve ever used a website’s built-in search function, the results you received likely came from the Hidden Web.
Where does the “dark web” fit into this?
The “Dark” corner and the Deep Web space are based on anonymity. However, both are only accessible with a specifically designed web browser, meaning that you won’t stumble upon a secret drug ring by just typing an inquiry into your search engine.
The bad reputation of the ‘Darknet’ or ‘Dark Web’ has undoubtedly overshadowed the usefulness and benign nature of the Deep Web, and it’s really no surprise. In reality, however, what we have come to know as the Dark Web, is actually a minuscule corner of cyberspace.
Take into consideration, for example, the fact that World Wide Web has ballooned to include over a billion different websites. Currently, estimates of Tor hidden sites sit between 7000 and 30,000. When you do the math, that means that darknet sites account for less than one-third of a percent all web space.
You may also have heard of the “Mariana Web.” In all of Deep Web history, this topic is arguably the most divisive. It’s not very likely that this place even exists, as to what it actually is doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Stories of this part of the internet are unclear and inconsistent, with some people claiming it’s a government database where all of mankind’s biggest secrets are kept.
On the complete other end of the spectrum, people say they’ve seen it themselves. Those people describe it as the most depraved cynical matters of existence. Things that nobody should ever have to see. We’re happy to report that the Mariana Web is a well-documented myth and only a popular internet legend.
That does not mean that the Dark Web—or even the Deep Web for that matter—are for the faint of heart. For better or for worse, this part of the Internet is a reflection of all the good, bad and downright weird. However, we mustn’t let the reputation created by a few bad eggs cause us to look past the very real potential that both Deep and Dark Web spaces offer to people.
For example, political dissidents are turning more and more to the Hidden Web as protection from political persecution in their native countries. By creating a space that is free of state control, the Deep Web embodies the original spirit of the Internet, which is to facilitate the free exchange of ideas.
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