Content
Although you likely use these tools via an app, they all have dedicated websites. The internet is home to billions of websites — anestimated 1.7 billionto be exact, although that number changes every day as new sites are made and others are deleted. Yourdailyinternet activitylikely falls within the publicly available and readily accessible portion of the internet .
- Dark web browsing is not as simple as regular web surfing, but there are some tools you can use to chart your journey.
- While the dark web holds some dark and illegal things, not everything there is illegal.
- The anonymity of illicit activity on the dark web cloaks an enterprise of mounting concern to authorities.
- Users need this browser to access this special category of websites.
- There are many different ways to access the dark web, but navigating it can be tricky and dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing.
- The darknet encryption technology routes users’ data through a large number of intermediate servers, which protects the users’ identity and guarantees anonymity.
Much of the Dark Web’s illegal content is based around things like human trafficking, illicit drug and firearm sales, and so on. Nearly anything available for sale on the Dark Web would be illegal in most regions. Even if you could remove your information from one dark web location, there is no guarantee that it hasn’t been copied or posted on other sites. Instead of removing information that has been compromised, focus on changing passwords, notifying your credit card companies and ensuring the stolen data becomes irrelevant. Look for an IT security or identity protection agency to carry out a dark web scan on your behalf.
Consider what you share on social media
The type of content that has the most popularity on the dark web is illegal pornography—more specifically, child pornography. About 80% of its web traffic is related to accessing child pornography despite it being difficult to find even on the dark web. A website called Lolita City, that has since been taken down, contained over 100 GB of child pornographic media and had about 15,000 members. Some of these are well-known, established threats that circulate in this nook of the web. However, others may be taking advantage of the dark web’s reputation to trick users out of large sums of money.
Although not entirely used for illicit purposes, thedark webis one part of the internet that can be used by criminals for illegal purposes, like selling stolen personal information. There are billions of websites on the internet that are safe and freely accessible, but it’s possible for your kids to be curious enough to search the deep or dark web. Deep web games or deep internet music might draw younger children, while drugs, weapons, and dark web images might draw the interest of older children.
You don’t have to use the dark web for online anonymity
Tor is a web browser used to stay anonymous online or access dark web. Tor shares similarities with VPNs and proxy servers in that all these tools enable some level of anonymous browsing. Tor can be used together with a VPN to provide powerful, overlapping levels of privacy and anonymity. The Tor Project says that of the 2 million people using Tor every day, only 1.5% of them are accessing hidden, or dark, websites. And most dark web websites are in English — according to one estimate, a staggering 78% of information on the dark web is in English.
Others may act in ways that are illegal for the protection and safety of others. Let’s unpack both of these concepts in terms of the “dark web browser” and the websites themselves. The dark web was once the province of hackers, law enforcement officers, and cybercriminals. However, new technology like encryption and the anonymization browser software, Tor, now makes it possible for anyone to dive dark if they’re interested. At the dark end of the web, you’ll find the more hazardous content and activity.
Black Market
Although people use terms like the dark web, “deep web,” and “darknet” interchangeably, they don’t exactly mean the same thing. Although there are some similarities, they are vastly different. Receive helpful security alerts, time-saving tips and technology trends directly in your inbox.
The Tor browser is free and legal to use in most parts of the world. Some countries, like China, Russia, and Belarus have banned it. Bitcoin is the most well-known cryptocurrency, but it’s not the safest.
You should consult with your own legal and information security advisors or IT Department before implementing any recommendation or guidance provided herein. To learn more about how to assess and mitigate cyber risks to your organization, pleasecontact Aon. The dark web constitutes a small portion of the deep web, the bottom layer of the metaphorical iceberg. Finally, Tor’s encryption system is quite complex, meaning it can be a very slow process to navigate from A to B across the web. If you value a speedy browsing experience, chances are Tor won’t be your browser of choice.
