What is the difference between the dark web and the deep web? And contrary to what you may think, the dark web offers several sites that aren’t connected with illegal activity. These are unique search engines designed specifically for accessing the dark web. With the help of the Tor Project and other similar dark web browsers, people can surf the dark web and communicate with others without having their IP address, search history, cache, or cookies tracked. Of course, the dark web isn’t only used for criminal purposes. Some people log onto it to hide their online activity from governments, especially those that censor the internet or have a history of jailing dissidents. Journalists might use the dark web to communicate with confidential sources. Here are some crimes you might encounter while navigating the dark web: It is these shady dealings that give the dark web its seedy, dangerous reputation.

Some people use this encrypted space to help protect their identity and online privacy, but other hackers like to use these features to carry out illegal activities. However, these sites are only accessible through certain web browsers. It is a more guarded subspace of the deep web, hosting encrypted websites for its users. Streaming platforms are a great example of this, requiring you to enter your login credentials immediately before you can continue to watch your favorite TV shows and movies. Some mainstream sites are only accessible via the deep web because of how they customize each page to the user. This keeps others from logging onto your online savings or checking accounts.

To access it, you must first enter a password and username. This way, prying eyes will run into trouble trying to access your personal information. The deep web works by requiring you to have a specific password or link that will give you access to the private site you’re trying to enter. Imagine if someone were able to Google your name and have your email account and/or health records pop up instantly. Thanks to the deep web, this doesn’t happen. Instead, the deep web describes all web pages hidden from the search engines we use every day. Website owners hide their sites to protect information not meant for public viewing, like email and banking accounts, private social media pages, and electronic health records.

The name might sound nefarious, but there’s really nothing sinister about the deep web.

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