Maybe you didn't know this, but There are two Internets ! The classic Internet, the one you know and use every day, on which you can read this article. It is very easily accessible and is indexed by search engines.
We then find the deep web (the "Deep Web") which represents approximately 96% of the entire web on which there are a very large number of pages not referenced for various reasons: dynamic URLs generated on the fly, sites requiring authentication (banks, online newspapers, etc.), data not understood by search engines, etc.
And then there is a small subset of the deep web that cannot be accessed without specific software, and that is the Dark web.
But what is the dark web?
The dark web exists on darknets, overlay networks using specific protocols that integrate anonymization functions and are made up of people who connect to each other, particularly for file exchanges. These networks overlap the Internet, but require specific software to access them. Thus, they are not accessible or even visible to uninitiated people.
For example, among the widely used software, the software Tor hides a darknet. Tor can be used for anonymize your activity on the Internet when you surf the visible web, but it can also be used to access special sites ending in .onion that you wouldn't be able to access with a regular browser. These sites use Tor to hide themselves on the web and only Tor users can access them, making them very invisible!
Tor's hidden sites are the most well-known darknet on the web, but there are of course other darkenets used for various purposes such as sharing secret files, pirated software or media files.
What will you find on the dark web?
On the darknets there are websites that do not want to be accessible on the normal web where they could be found easily. These websites make up what is called the dark web.
The dark web provides anonymity to both the websites that constitute it and the visitors to those websites. Political dissidents in countries where authoritarian regimes leave little room for opponents are likely to use the dark web to communicate and organize (we find a bit of the spirit of "Radio London" and the resistance during World War II with its parallel communication networks).
Whistleblowers can leak secrets on the dark web using sites like the American Journal The New Yorker accessible through Tor to ensure a greater level of anonymity. Even Facebook can be accessed from Tor to ensure the security of users connecting in countries where Facebook is censored or banned.
But beyond these positive uses and those aimed at fighting for freedom, the anonymity of the dark web allows the existence of a multitude of other sites that could not have seen the light of day on the normal web, for good reasons !
Indeed, there are many sites offering drugs, weapons, fake documents or even stolen credit card codes… You will also find online gaming sites or criminal directories with classified ads of people offering to assassinate you. All these services are generally paid in Bitcoin, this virtual currency also guarantees a certain anonymity.
Incidentally, the dark web site that has been most talked about in recent years is Silk Road, a huge black market place dedicated to drug sales, where payments were made in Bitcoin and buyers received their orders by mail like any other e-retailer. Silk Road was dismantled in November 2014 by the FBI.
It is therefore very important to be aware that not everything on the dark web is necessarily reliable and legitimate (in addition to being illegal!). Indeed, even if this is not quantifiable due to the lack of statistics in this parallel world, a large part of what is there could well be nothing more than scams to make money on the backs of "customers". It is difficult for a customer to go and complain to the police saying that the user Sniper77 did not carry out his assassination service when he was indeed paid! We can also imagine that on these sites there are traps set by the police to catch people looking for illegal products or services!
In short, why go to the dark web?
Ultimately, there are very few legitimate reasons that could lead you to the dark web. As we saw above, if you are a whistleblower or live in a country where not all freedoms are guaranteed, the dark web can be a valid tool… for the rest, just avoid going there!
Article updated on January 5, 2025 by Byothe
