The Dark Web refers to encrypted online content that is not indexed by conventional search engines. Also known as the Darknet, the Dark Web is a component of the web that describes the broader scope of content that does not appear in regular Internet browsing activities.
Specific browsers like Tor are required to access sites on the Dark Web. These include anonymous chat rooms, online marketplaces, exchanges of stolen financial and private data and other illegal content. In this underground economy, transactions are often paid for with cryptocurrencies.
The Dark Web and the Deep Web are often mistakenly used interchangeably. The Deep Web is accessible without specific tools like Tor. It includes all pages that do not appear when you search the web. This covers anything that requires a connection, like personal email, online banking, or other such sites.
It's hard to close markets on the Dark Web, the technology has evolved to the point where the OpenBazaar open source code allows for decentralized markets, in the same way that torrents allow for decentralized file sharing. As a result, the Dark Web economy continues to grow, despite the best efforts of law enforcement agencies.
