The Deep Web, or the Hidden Web

[Meganium]

The Deep Web (also called the Deepnet, Dark web, DarkNet, the Invisible Web, the Undernet or the Hidden Web) is World Wide Web content that is not part of the Surface Web, which is indexed by standard search engines. It should not be confused with the dark Internet, the computers that can no longer be reached via the Internet, or with a Darknet distributed filesharing network, which could be classified as a smaller part of the Deep Web. There is concern that the deep web can be used for serious criminal activity.

Mike Bergman, founder of BrightPlanet and credited with coining the phrase, said that searching on the Internet today can be compared to dragging a net across the surface of the ocean: a great deal may be caught in the net, but there is a wealth of information that is deep and therefore missed. Most of the Web's information is buried far down on dynamically generated sites, and standard search engines do not find it. Traditional search engines cannot "see" or retrieve content in the deep Web—those pages do not exist until they are created dynamically as the result of a specific search. As of 2001, the deep Web was several orders of magnitude larger than the surface Web.

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I remember trying to access the deep web a few times back in 2011-2012 when a bff of mine introduced me to it, and really...I was pretty intrigued. There was so many things hidden in there that gives you that suspense feeling from a horror movie. There were programs build that were constantly missed by Google searches, as well as possible hidden archives. I didn't stay there long the first time, because I got pretty paranoid and didn't want anything to happen to my comp.

Has anyone dared tried to access the deep web in the past? If not, do you dare? Discuss your experience!

 

[Minuteman III]

I looked around a bit on some hidden services on the Tor network, but the only things of interest I found was a HTML copy of K&R and a copy of the US Constitution under a "terrorist_documents" directory.

 

[Tsutarja]

I've never really tried to access the deep web, nor have I ever really been exposed to it. But it does seem interesting, although not surprised at how it's around, considering the NSA scandal from last year.

 

[«Chuckles»]

I've looked around in it and learnt abfew things. If you want to hire a hitman to kill someone it costs 20 grand. Though you got to make sure you don't stumble across a page that just so happens to be a hangout for hackers otherwise they can do stuff like turn on your webcam etc.

 

[countryemo]

I've tried poking around it a little bit, but its a bit confusing for me. And I'm paranoid to go clicking willy nilly.
I feel like I'm being whatched on there.

 

[abnegation]

It sounds so menacing in theory, but there's always going to be these "underground" organisations using the web as a platform for criminal activity. It's the same sort of activity hidden from main streets within alley ways. Albeit it seems slightly more "eerie" that you can access this stuff from your living room while watching The Simpsons or something, but it's no different to the kinds of things that go on behind closed doors in any city or town. An so, I personally haven't had any interest in exploring it.

 

[Zise]

It's the internet version of "the hood" or "the ghetto". Nothing more and nothing less.

 

[DowntownDumpling]

I very much want to - I don't like the idea of being an innocent, uneducated, blissfully unaware pleb - I just don't feel like actually finding the software to get there.