What Is The Dark Web?

The dark web concept is still complex for a good part of society that is not an expert in new technologies. Translated into Spanish, ‘the dark web’ does not have an exact definition, but has evolved to this day without having an established meaning.

The first time that the dark web is talked about is in 2002, in a document entitled: “The Darknet and the Future of Content Distribution”. This writing was carried out by Microsoft researchers who defined the darknet as “a collection of networks and technologies used to share digital content. ” Today, the dark web is still a set of networks that allows you to remain anonymous.

In popular culture, the concept of dark web is often confused with deep web . They are similar in that the two are spaces for exchange and communication. Both serve to navigate the deep Internet, where 90% of the content that exists on the Internet is found. Here we can find a good part of information that is not “public”, along with exchanges of all kinds and a good part of the transactions that are made with cryptocurrencies.

The dark web represents a minimal part of the deep web , having in “exclusivity” only 0.1% of the content found on the network. We are talking about a space protected by web engines and which can only be accessed in very special ways. On the other hand, you can only access this space with the necessary software to navigate the darknets in which they are hosted.

Entering the dark web

To enter the dark web it is necessary to have certain tools, such as a browser that supports it. The best known are TOR, Freenet or ZeroNet. What characterizes these browsers is that they use specific programming that allows access to data from the dark web .

Therefore, the dark web is online content that cannot be accessed through commonly used browsers, such as Google or Bing that only operate with content indexed in public search engines.

The dark web has been seen from the beginning as a criminal tool, in part because of the treatment that the media have given it. Being a system that allows you to send content anonymously, it becomes a very tempting tool to carry out illegal actions.

But the use that can be made of this application is not only criminal, but companies or institutions can use them to communicate with each other in an anonymous or secret way to the outside.

What exactly is it for?

Initially, the dark web application was intended to create a surveillance-free zone. Some examples where the dark web could be used are:

• The dissemination of scientific knowledge.
• In countries where freedom of expression is limited, it can be used as a portal to express censored or potentially objectionable ideas or thoughts.
• Information reserved between companies or States.

The main problems that the dark web presents are:

The use of the dark web is very limited. The dangers that it entails are many and it can be very dangerous for those who lack knowledge because precisely the people who move in it tend to have them, for which novices can be “easy prey”.

Users of the dark web are scarce compared to the deep web. One piece of data that supports this hypothesis is that one of the most widely used browsers on the deep web has around 20 million users, while Freenet only has 10,000 users.

Therefore, we can say that the dark web has a small group of users if we compare its volume with that of people who connect to the network. This is because it is a relatively new tool and its operation is somewhat complex, therefore, people prefer to resort to other technological tools, such as the deep web , to navigate the deeper Internet. In addition, the dark web application is intended for a very specific target.

However, the potential presented by this tool is greater than any other type of communication network. Therefore, it may be that within a few years companies and institutions will include this technology to communicate with each other.