T H E C E N T E R O F C O M M E R C E

WHAT IS THE

DEEP and DARK WEB

VOLUME 1 | 2017

We often hear the terms “Deep Web” and “Dark Web” used interchangeably. But they aren’t synonymous.

WHAT IS THE

DEEP AND DARK WEB?

We often hear the terms “Deep Web” and

“Dark Web” used interchangeably. But they

aren’t synonymous.

The Deep Web is any place on the internet

that’s not readily reachable by search engines.

That’s where the vast majority of the data

coursing across the internet flows, including

private medical records, bank transactions,

registration-based forums, and data that

needs a secure database.1

The Dark Web is a colloquialism for a small

corner of the Deep Web used by, among

others, hackers, cybercriminals, and traditional

organized crime outfits to hide their activities

from detection.2 There, users can buy illegal

drugs, sell stolen identities and financial

information, and organize cyberattacks.

To get to the Dark Web, users often use 16-digit

URLs and a special router called Tor®, an

acronym for The Onion Router, so named for

the layers used to protect the users’ identities.

BRAD RHOADS Christopher Sanna

2 First Data | Connected | Volume 1

What is the Deep and Dark Web?1 What is the Dark Web and Deep Web? Matt Egan. TechAdvisor from IDG. Apr 6, 2017.

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/internet/what-is-dark-web-deep-web-3593569/

2 NPR Staff (25 May 2014). “Going Dark: The Internet Behind the Internet”.

http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2014/05/25/315821415/going-dark-the-internet-behind-the-internet

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