The deep web is a vast ocean of online information hidden behind logins or barriers that prevent casual browsing. But the part that has been deliberately hidden, known as the Dark Web, is where the legends thrive. Here are four who won't die.
1 It is illegal to use the dark web
Every time you hear a news story about the dark web, it's always about crimes like human trafficking. It makes you think that the dark web was created by criminal masterminds to evade the law.
In fact, the dark web has its roots in an official government project implemented by the US Naval Research Laboratory in the 1990s. Its scientists wanted to find a new way to increase security in Internet communications. The method they came up with is “onion routing,” which is data that is encrypted as it is passed through multiple servers.
Onion routing was released to the public in 2002 as open source software called Tor. Once users were able to access private networks anonymously, hidden websites began to appear. These networks became known as the Dark Web.
In many countries, accessing the dark web is not illegal. Tor is just a tool, like a shovel, or it can be considered a more secure HTTPS. One of the dark web's legal uses comes from its original purpose: secure communications. Activists used the dark web to coordinate protests anonymously, an effort that eventually led to the pro-democracy uprisings of the Arab Spring.
Did you know that Facebook and ProPublica host official websites on the Dark Web? It allows freethinkers living under tightly censored governments to access the geo-blocked content of these sites. Others may use the Dark Web to protect themselves from unwarranted surveillance or tracking cookies that steal their private data.
2 Black market items are easy to find on the dark web
I'm sure it's impossible for mainstream news to cover the Dark Web without mentioning the Silk Road. The Silk Road was a notorious black market on the dark web for illegal drugs and illicit weapons sales. Yes, illegal goods were sold there, but the Silk Road has disappeared since 2013.
Hearing about Silk Road over and over again makes the average person think that the Dark Web is like a Las Vegas strip, where everywhere you turn, someone hands you a flyer for something questionable.
But in reality, it is not easy to find illegal goods or spam on the dark web. If you deal with sellers as a beginner, you will likely get scammed. Or if they're the real deal, they'll want to vet you first to make sure you're not an undercover cop. So, it's not much different from real life when you have to leave the computer and go outside.
Perhaps this myth is the reason why people assume that the dark web has no value for upstanding citizens with great morals. But legitimate uses for the dark web do exist. Journalists use the dark web to securely share files with whistleblowers. One such effort led to the publication of the Panama Papers in 2016, which exposed financial corruption on a global scale.
3 It is difficult to access the dark web
The truth is, it's not difficult for the average person to access the dark web: you don't need technical expertise or expensive hardware.
All you have to do is download a program. Each of the best anonymizing networks uses different software for access:
- Tor: Accessed via the Tor browser.
- Invisible Internet Project (I2P): Accessible via a full-featured I2P client.
- Hyphanet (formerly Freenet): Accessed via a peer-to-peer Hyphanet client.
So, you'll need to install software for the hidden network you want to browse, but that's about it. After connecting, you will need to do an active search to find the best dark web sites that you will not find on Google.
So, the next time someone calls you an elite-level hacker for knowing how to access the dark web, you can smile knowing that all you did was click on a program on your computer.
4 Hackers are constantly targeting users on the dark web
Are there phishing scams and AI-driven FraudGPT bots on the dark web? definitely. You probably don't want to send your grandma to the dark web to be romance scammed, and I certainly don't recommend letting kids visit either. So we are 100% clear: like in the 2023 movie Hitmanmurder-for-hire services would likely be federal stings.
So does this mean that hackers are constantly targeting your IP address, like sharks circling infested waters, once you dive in?
No, because the whole purpose of using the dark web is to make it more difficult for you to be monitored. If you use a VPN on the dark web and don't click on suspicious links or download suspicious files, you will generally avoid dangerous content on the dark web.
In many ways, the Dark Web represents the pure idea of a decentralized network with free exchange. The dark web can be a den of injustice, but it can also be a place where you learn arcane information and find niche communities. When the Internet was brand new and not yet institutionalized, this feeling was very exciting.