The Deep Web Vs. The Dark Web

You’ve heard the words before, but you don’t really know what they mean except that they sound scary. You think it’s a place where all the hackers lurk, but the truth is you’re not really sure.

Let’s clear the air on what each concept is and what you can find on them.

DEEP WEB

First of all you need to know that the deep web and the dark web are not the same thing, although they can sometimes overlap.

The deep web contains pages that are not indexed, meaning they will not pop up after a search on most search engines such as Google. These pages are basically invisible; unless you know the direct link or click on the link once you get in the deep side of the web.

Here are a few things you can find on the deep web:

- Personal email accounts
- Social media accounts
- Online banking accounts
- Businesses private databases
- Medical record
- Legal records

DARK WEB

The deep web is deep, but the dark web is even deeper. It is like the deep web meaning you cannot access it unless you know exactly where to go, however the dark web is more focused on illegal activities, products and services.

On the dark web you can expect to find some pretty gruesome things, including:

- A marketplace for illegal drugs and weapons
- Blueprints for 3D printing things, mostly illegal things
- WikiLeaks documents
- Abuse videos (children, animals, etc.)
- Child pornography content
- Marketplace for hiring hitmen
- Snuff films and “red rooms” – these are often said to be urban legend
- Recipes on how to eat and cook human meat

Watch this video to learn more about what horrific things can be found on the dark web here!

Please be aware that the dark place is in fact a dangerous place, especially if you are not particularly a tech-savvy person. Do not go snooping on the dark web out of curiosity, well at least not without being properly prepared!

Should you have any questions or queries please contact OSINT on 021 110 0422 or email contact@osint.co.za otherwise learn more about our open-source intelligence & digital forensics services on www.osint.co.za or www.tcgforensics.co.za