Understanding the Surface Web, Deep Web, and Dark Web

Surface Web

• Easily accessible layer of the internet.
• Includes activities like watching YouTube or shopping on Amazon.

Deep Web

• Beneath the Surface Web.
• Includes websites not indexed by search engines (e.g., online banking, government databases).
• Requires passwords for access.

Dark Web

• Located at the bottom of the Deep Web.
• Characterized by encrypted communication and anonymity.
• Known as the 'wild west' of the internet with the presence of extremists, criminals, and trolls.

Origins of the Dark Web

• Not a physical place but a concept describing parts of the internet that hide identities and locations.
• Developed alongside the internet in the 1970s.
• Requires darknet software like Tor.

Tor Browser

• Created by the U.S. Naval Research Lab in the early 2000s.
• Allows anonymous browsing by bouncing internet requests through various global computers.
• Enables access to websites like Silk Road, a notorious online black market.

Silk Road

• First online black market for illicit goods (drugs, guns, child pornography).
• Founder Ross Ulbricht arrested in 2013.
• Successor sites like Silk Road 2.0, Project Black Flag, and Black Market Reloaded also shut down.

Alternatives and Authorities

• Alternatives to Tor: I2P and Freenet.
• New markets like Dream, Agora, and Alphabay have emerged.
• FBI efforts to hack Tor resulted in a significant drop in usage.

Legal Uses of the Dark Web

• Supported by the U.S. State Department and Department of Defense.
• Used by activists during Arab Spring, political dissidents, and whistleblowers.
• News organizations have Dark Web drop sites for anonymous tips.
• Assists domestic-violence victims and protects privacy against advertisers or government surveillance.

Ethical Dilemma

• Balancing act between shutting down criminal activities and protecting legitimate uses of the Dark Web.
• The question of whether internet freedom and privacy are worth the risks of a criminal underworld.