The deep web is a part of the internet that most people do not know about. The dark web is a part of the deep web that is very mysterious and hard to get to. The deep web and the dark web are not, like the websites we use every day. When you are online you see lots of websites every day. These are things like news sites, social media and search engines.. These are just a small part of the internet. The internet is really big. There is a lot more to it than what we see.
The internet has a lot of secrecy. It protects peoples privacy very well. This has made it a controversial thing. It is like a sword that can be used for good or bad. On one hand it is a place where people can share information freely. On the hand it is also a place where bad people can do illegal things without being caught. The internet is a place, for information freedom. It is also a place where illegal activities happen.
What is the dark web?
The dark web is a part of the internet. This is what the name says it is. You cannot find the web with search engines like Google and Baidu. You also cannot get to it with browsers like Chrome and Safari. To get to the web you need special software and setup. The dark web needs this to work. The famous software for the dark web is The Onion Router, which people call Tor for short. The dark web is, for people who have this software.
How the dark web works
The Tor network is really important for the web. When you use the Tor browser to look at a web website, which usually ends with “.onion” your information is locked up tight in many layers, kind of like an onion.
This locked up information’s then sent to lots of different servers all, around the world and it gets passed around randomly.
Each of these servers can only unlock one layer of the information to figure out where it needs to go but it does not know where the information came from or where it is finally going. The Tor network and the dark web are connected in this way.
When you go to a website the request does not go to the website. It goes to a lot of places first. After going to all these places the request finally reaches the target website. At the time the websites server information is also hidden from view. This way of doing things makes it very hard for people to find out the users internet address, where they are, in the world and who they really are. This makes it possible for the user of the website to communicate with the website in a private way and the website communication is very anonymous. The anonymous communication of the website is what makes it so hard to trace the user of the website and the websites server information is hidden.
Dark Web vs. Deep Web vs. Surface Web
To understand this better let us think of the internet as an iceberg:
- Photo by Surface Web: You know the part of an iceberg that you can see above the water. This part is like all the websites that everyone can find when they use a search engine, like Google. The Surface Web is basically all the websites that are easy to find.
- The Deep Web: This is the part of the internet that you do not see when you search for something. It is like the part of the iceberg that’s underwater. The Deep Web has most of the information on the internet. This includes your emails and your online banking accounts. It also includes databases that you need to log in to use and the internal websites that companies use. You need a password to get into these databases and websites. The Deep Web contains all this information that search engines, like Google cannot find. Accessing the Deep Web is something that people do every day. It is legal. You use the Deep Web when you check your email or your bank account online. The Deep Web is a part of our daily lives and it is something that we all use.
- Surface Web: The Dark Web is a secretive place on the internet. It is the part of the deep web. To get to the Dark Web you need tools like Tor. The main thing about the Dark Web is that it lets people be anonymous. The Dark Web is, about keeping people hidden.
How to access the dark web
Important Notice: The information that follows is meant to be used for learning about technology and how to stay safe. Going to the web is a big deal and it can get you into a lot of trouble with the law. It is also not safe. Can be bad, for your mind. We really do not think that regular people should go to the web for any reason. The dark web is not a place for ordinary users to visit.
So you want to go on the web. Before you do that you need to know some things and take some steps to keep your privacy and your device safe. The dark web is a scary place so you have to be careful. You need to understand what you are getting into and take the following measures to protect yourself and your device. This is really important if you want to stay safe on the web.
Essential conditions
- Download and install the Tor browser.
- The Tor browser is the standard way to access the dark web, which means you can use it to access.onion websites.
- You should always get the Tor browser from the Tor Project website.
- This way you can avoid getting a version of the Tor browser that has bad stuff like malware, in it.
- The Tor browser is what you need to access the web safely so make sure you get it from the right place, which is the official Tor Project website.
Enhance privacy protection with a VPN
When you use the Tor network it helps to keep your identity hidden. However your Internet Service Provider or ISP, for short can still see that you are using the Tor network. This can make them a little suspicious.
To be safer you can use the Tor network with a Virtual Private Network or VPN. A good VPN can really help to keep your internet activities private. The Tor network and a good VPN can work together to make your internet use more private.
The correct way to use it is to connect to the Virtual Private Network then open the Tor browser. This is what people call Tor over Virtual Private Network. When you do this the Virtual Private Network server will hide your Internet Protocol address. Your Internet Service Provider will only see that you have connected to the Virtual Private Network server. They will not know that you have used Tor after that. You will be using the Virtual Private Network and the Tor browser together which’s the Virtual Private Network and Tor.
It is an idea to use Virtual Private Network services that do not keep track of what you do online. These are called No-Log Policy services. You can try FlashVPN or QuickVPN or NordVPN. These Virtual Private Network services promise that they will not keep a record of what Virtual Private Network users do when they’re online.
Close all other unnecessary applications on your computer.
To keep your information safe you should close all the programs you do not need. This includes things, like media apps and cloud sync services and regular browsers. You need to do this before you start the Tor browser.
These programs might be running without you seeing them. They are still connected to the network. This can be a problem because it might show your IP address when you are using the Tor browser. You should close these programs to stay safe when you use the Tor browser.
Other key security measures
To stop people from seeing you physically block the camera. This is a thing to do but it really works to prevent problems. Physically blocking the camera is a way to keep your privacy safe.
Do not download any files. Files on these websites are probably going to have bad stuff, like viruses, Trojans or ransomware.
When you are online do not use the information that’s about you. Never use your name. Do not use your email address either. You should also not use a password that you use a lot.. You should not use any information that people can use to figure out who you really are. This is important, for your identity. So never use your identity information.
To be safe on the internet set the Tor browsers security level to the highest.
In the Tor browser settings you need to set the security level to “Safest”.
This is a thing because it will disable scripts, like JavaScript on websites that could be used to attack the Tor browser user.
The Tor browser will be more secure with the security level set to “Safest” because scripts, on websites cannot harm the Tor browser.
So make sure the Tor browsers security level is set to the highest to protect the Tor browser.
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- “Hot Links” on the Dark Web: Not Just for Illegal Transactions
- The dark web is famous for being connected to things like black markets and illegal deals.. It has a lot more to it than that. The dark web has all sorts of things on it.
- Here are some kinds of websites you can find on the web:
- Some websites are for talking to people
- Some websites are for buying and selling things
- Some websites are for sharing information
- You have to be careful when you look at the web because some things on it can be very upsetting or against the law.
This article is just to tell you about the web. It does not tell you to go to these websites. The dark web is a place and you have to be careful. The dark web has a lot of things on it that’re not good, for you.
Search Engine
- The dark web has its search engines because traditional search engines cannot look at.onion websites.
- These search engines are pretty simple. The quality of the search results you get from the web search engines can be really different.
- The dark web search engines do not work well as the regular search engines we use.
- Ahmia: This is a search engine on the dark web. It wants to make sure people have an experience when they search for things. So Ahmia will actively keep out websites that have illegal stuff on them. Ahmia is really good at doing this which is why people, like using Ahmia for searching the web.
- DuckDuckGo: I really like DuckDuckGo because it is a search engine that cares about my privacy. DuckDuckGo has a version that works with the Tor network so I can search the internet without anyone knowing who I am. But the thing is DuckDuckGo mainly looks at the internet, not the hidden parts. DuckDuckGo is still a tool, for people who want to use DuckDuckGo to search the internet privately.
Freedom of the Press and Information
The dark web is a place where people like journalists and activists can express themselves freely. It is also a place for people who live in countries with very strict rules and a lot of watching. The dark web gives these people a space to say what they think. The dark web is important, for people who want to have speech.
- ProPublica: This is a deal for ProPublica, a nonprofit group that does really good investigative reporting in the United States. They were the major news group to make a special version of their website that people can visit on the dark web. So now people, around the world can look at the things ProPublica writes about without anyone knowing who they are. ProPublica is well known because they have won a lot of awards including the Pulitzer Prize.
- BBC News: The British Broadcasting Corporation has a website on the dark web. This is like a mirror of their site. It helps people who can not look at the BBC News website to still get news and information from around the world. The British Broadcasting Corporation does this so people can stay informed about what’s going on. The BBC News is very important, for people who want to know what is happening in the world.
- WikiLeaks: The main website of WikiLeaks is easy to find on the internet but WikiLeaks and the groups that work with it often use the web to share secret information and get important documents, from people who want to stay anonymous these people are called whistleblowers and they send things to WikiLeaks.
Privacy and Security Services
People who use the web really need to keep things private. Because of this a lot of services that help with privacy have become available to dark web users. These services are important, to the web users.
- ProtonMail: I really like ProtonMail because it is an email service provider. ProtonMail is known for its end-, to-end encryption. This means that ProtonMail keeps my emails safe. ProtonMail also has a version of its website called a.onion version. The.onion version of ProtonMail gives users of ProtonMail more privacy when they use ProtonMail.
- SecureDrop: is a website that helps people tell the truth without being afraid. Lots of news organizations around the world use SecureDrop. This platform is really good because it lets people send information to journalists in secret. They can do this on the dark web, which means they do not have to worry about someone finding out who they are. SecureDrop is a way for people to share things that might be hard to talk about and it helps journalists get the information they need to tell important stories, about SecureDrop and how it works.
Forums and Communities
The dark web has lots of forums where people talk about all sorts of things. They discuss stuff and politics. People also share things they like. This lets users swap ideas without anyone knowing who they are.
The dark web forums can be bad too. They can spread bad ideas and teach people things they should not know.
Black markets are places where people do things and these places have been shut down or taken away by the authorities there are many examples of black markets that have been closed or seized, like the black markets that were selling fake stuff and the black markets that were doing other bad things these black markets have been closed.
The dark web has a bad part and that is the black market. This is where people buy and sell all kinds of things like drugs and fake money. The black market uses kinds of money like Bitcoin to pay for things. The black market is like a store where people can buy things that’re not legal. The people who use the market, like to use Bitcoin because it is hard to track. The dark web and the black market are closely related.
Silk Road was a big deal on the dark web. It was like the place where people would buy and sell drugs. The person who started Silk Road got caught by the police in 2013. After that the website was closed down by the police in the United States. When Silk Road went down it was a moment in the history of the dark web. It showed that the dark web is not somehow exempt from the law. The Silk Road story is still a part of the dark webs history and it always will be, about the Silk Road.
Warnings of accessing the dark web
The dark web is a place where you can be totally anonymous. It is also a really scary place on the internet. If you are not careful the dark web can be very bad for you. Any person who uses the web without knowing what they are doing may face serious problems, with the dark web:
Mental health risks: The dark web is filled with a large amount of extremely disturbing violent, extreme, and illegal content, which may have a serious impact on the mental health of visitors.
Legal Risks: If you use the web to get things that are not allowed like drugs or weapons or bad pictures of kids you can get in big trouble, with the law. The police are always watching and trying to stop people from doing things on the dark web they use special computers to help them do this. The dark web is a place where people can do things that’re against the law and the police are working hard to catch them and stop the dark web crime.
Cybersecurity risks are a problem. The dark web is a place where hackers and malware are found. You have to be careful when you visit websites because they can have links and viruses. If you click on these links your own computer or phone can get infected. This can lead to people stealing your information or Cybersecurity risks can even cause ransomware attacks, on your device. Cybersecurity risks are something to worry about when you’re online.
Risk of fraud: When you buy things on the dark web it is really easy to get cheated. A lot of people sell things that do not even exist. You pay for something. Then it is gone you never get it. The dark web is full of scams like this. People try to trick you into paying for things that’re not real. The risk of fraud is very high when you use the web. You have to be very careful when you’re, on the dark web because of all the fake services and goods. The dark web is not a place to buy things.
