How many websites do you think there are on the internet? How many have you accessed or know about?
To put things into perspective, currently, there are over 640 million active websites on the internet that you can easily access on the internet through the help of web browsers. But what about those which you cannot access?
While 640 million websites look like a very large number, the actual web is much bigger than this. These websites only make up the surface web. These websites are easily accessible to us as they are all indexed by the web browsers. However, there are many more websites that are not indexed by Google or any other search engine. These websites form the deep web which is at least 5-6 times bigger than the surface web.
What is Deep Web?
This part of the internet is known to us by different names across the web. The Deep Web, Darknet, hidden web, Invisible web – these are some of the names that people have known this part of the web with. All the .onion sites and darknet markets that are available on the deep web are unindexed by any of the search engines and hence, it is impossible for anyone to be able to access them without the right tools.
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Deep web further consists of a darker, sinister part of the web, named as the Dark Web. The Dark web is the place where a number of criminal activities such as weapon trading, drug trafficking and more take place. You can ask for murderers, hitman and serial killers as well on the Dark web or hackers which can practically hack into any website across the internet.
This part of the web is hidden deep down on the web and can only be accessed using Tor.
What are Tor and Tor Network?
The Onion Router or Tor as it is known now is an anonymous computer network spread across the world which allows you to protect your identity on the internet and keep you anonymous. All your internet data and traffic on the Tor network is routed via relays and exit nodes making it impossible for anyone to track your details.
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All the websites present on the Deep web and the dark web make use of the services provided by Tor network to hide and protect their servers, making it impossible for anyone to track their location.
How to access the Deep web safely using the Tor?
In order to access the deep web and the dark web, you will need Tor downloaded onto your system. You can follow the step-by-step guide below to run the Tor browser on your device.
- Download Tor: You need to have the Tor browser on your system to access the deep web. To do so, download the Tor Browser bundle from their official website by choosing your system requirements and language settings.
- Extract and Running Tor: As soon as the download is complete, extract the bundle files onto your system. Double-click on the .exe file to run the Tor Browser. The biggest advantage of using the Tor Browser is that you won’t have to physically install the Tor on your device.
- Connecting to the Tor Network: When you run the .exe file, Tor will automatically try to connect itself to the Tor network. It will take a few seconds and once the connection is established, you will be able to access the Tor Network and make use of its services.
Things to keep in mind before accessing Deep Web
You need to be cautious while on the Deep web as accessing one wrong website can land you in trouble. Follow these steps to ensure your safety:
- Make sure that you are using a good VPN service alongside Tor browser for added protection on the deep web.
- Only access those websites which are verified by users on the deep web. You can find the links of websites on hidden wiki directories.
- Do not click on any suspicious website links on the deep web and stay away from any criminal activity while you are there.
- Never disclose any personal information on the deep web. You don’t know who might use that information against you.
- Never buy anything on the deep web or the dark web unless completely necessary. Even if you do, never pay using your credit/debit cards as your card details could be misused.
The Verdict
The Deep web is a weird and unpredictable part of the web. You don’t know what will happen to you next on the deep web and this is why you need to be extra cautious while accessing the deep web. Follow the points mentioned above and you will be safe on the deep web.
