300 hours of videos are uploaded to YouTube every minute! 5 billion of these are viewed every day. With those facts and our search engines never ending, it’s hardly surprising that we mostly see about 4 per cent of the internet! What lies beneath is the ‘deep’ and ‘dark’ web.
What lies
in the deep web is not accessible via a search engine (crawler), which ‘crawls’
through links relevant to what you type inside. What most people don’t realize
is, we are accessing the deep web every day. Ever shared a file? You're on the
deep web.
Whilst most of the deep web is innocent or
irrelevant, medical records, databases, government resources (which are still
illegal to search by the way!) the
further you get into it the more you are going to need to use TOR (the onion
router), which allows a strong level of anonymity. Your IP address (which every
computer has) is rerouted every ten minutes across the globe, using this with a
VPN (Virtual Private Network), increases this more. This is where we reach the
dark web.
What can
you find on the dark web?
The answer
is, anything you like, really. That’s why it’s the dark web. It’s also
obviously a very dangerous place, so anonymity is essential. Chances are if
you're on the dark web, you’re probably on it for a reason. This is the place
where you find thieves, hitmen, drug dealers and murderers. If at the very
least a hacker might prank you claiming to know (or knowing!) where you are,
seeing you or knowing your name (this has happened!) you might want to also
cover your webcam and turn off the mic.
Reporters
and Dissidents under regimes use it
Plenty of
reporters, and dissidents under a regime who have information but feel or are
unsafe to share this information rely on the dark web for their any anonymity.
This allows whistle-blowers and human rights activists with inside access to
get information to the outside world.
Literature
For
billions of people worldwide, access to (certain) literature is illegal,
restricted or unavailable in their country. Some are not available in the many
bookshops or public libraries but can be easily found on the dark web. If the
open web access is restricted, the dark web is the only option, making it
perfect for scholarly research.
Hackers
Whilst the
threat of a cyber attack or a computer virus isn’t appealing, hackers are vital
for finding out illicit information for our survival and exposing evil. Ethical
hackers, sometimes known as ‘white hat hackers’ use their skills to test
security, find bugs in systems, and prevent innocent people from harm.
Whilst some
people may use the dark web out of pure curiosity, it’s mostly associated with
drugs, violence, and a haven for dangerous paedophile rings.
In 2015 a
hacker wiped out a fifth of the dark web's content after finding several child
pornography site links on the hosting provider Freedom Hosting ll. They then
passed the information to a security researcher to hand into law enforcement.
Remaining
Anonymous
Plenty of
people use the dark web for their own curiosity and to ask questions safely without
fear of being judged. A Spanish doctor who goes by the name of DoctorX shares
his advice to people as a drug counsellor. Victims of abuse share stories and
advice they’d otherwise be too scared to without fear of being traced and
without having to do so in person.
So there
you have it. These are some of the above reasons why the dark web is useful to
tackle the dangers out there. Please bear in mind if you are going to search
the deep and the dark web, follow the instructions above and NEVER reveal your
real identity. Not every discovery is a good one, don’t let curiosity get the
better of you and click on something you know you will not like.
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