Is the dark web truly dangerous?

In the past few years, there has been an increasing intrigue with regard to the dark web; it has been synonymous with dangerous and illegal activity. Before determining if the dark web is dangerous or not, it must first be defined. There are three different groupings of the Internet: the surface web, the deep web, and the dark web.

All websites that can be discovered and indexed by search browsers such as Google are all part of the surface web. All of these public services on the Internet are hosted by a server; however, only 10% of all servers on the Internet are part of the surface web. On the other hand, the deep web includes everything that is not part of the surface web. For example, company’s archive data and private information. There lies a subsection of the deep web, the dark web. Although the contents of the dark web aren’t on the surface web, many sites are open to anyone with the right tools. The TOR browser, an open source “.onion” browser funded by the CIA, is the only way to access these sites. Unlike a regular browser, there are no search engines. Instead direct links are the only method of viewing a site. The browser allows a virtually untraceable connection to these websites. Some of these websites are available on public catalogs, but some are completely invisible.

Most of the services available on the dark web are illegal and benefit from anonymity. This includes marketplaces for drugs, illegal weapons, and stolen data. For example, the Silk Road was one of these illegal marketplaces which was shut down by the FBI after years of investigation. Although the majority of the services on the dark web are illegal, there are many completely legal and ethical uses of the dark web. ­­­­­­­For example, there is a version of Facebook on the dark web, allowing those in oppressive regimes to have a voice anonymously and securely on the Internet. Whistleblowers use the dark web to expose company secrets and the CIA has an outlet on the dark web for people to contact them without being tracked.

The dark web is very accessible, but one should take precautions when going onto it. Many groups of hackers hack on the dark web through browser vulnerabilities. Being aware of this is important and one must take precautions before using it. The dark web is only dangerous when contacting and communicating with anonymous people with hidden motives or being involved in illicit activities.