The dark web consists of websites with concealed IP addresses that often require special software to access. It represents only a tiny portion—about 0.01%—of the larger deep web. The deep web includes all online content that standard search engines cannot index. Simply put, if Google doesn’t show you what you’re searching for, the information may still exist within the deep web, which is more difficult to reach. By contrast, the surface web—the part of the Internet that Google and other search engines can access—accounts for only about 0.03% of all online content.
In everyday discussions, the terms deep web and dark web are often mistakenly used interchangeably. In reality, the deep web is made up mostly of harmless content, such as password-protected email accounts, sections of subscription-based platforms like Netflix, and websites that require users to fill out an online form before access. (For instance, imagine if anyone could read your Gmail inbox just by searching your name online!) The scale of the deep web is also immense: as early as 2001, researchers estimated it to be 400–550 times larger than the surface web, and it has continued to expand rapidly ever since.
In contrast to the vast size of the deep web, the dark web is relatively small, with only a few thousand websites. What sets dark web sites apart is their reliance on encryption tools that protect both user identities and server locations.
Because of this anonymity, the dark web has become a hub for illegal activity: individuals can conceal who they are, operators of unlawful websites can remain hidden, and data can be exchanged without trace. As a result, it has been associated with the sale of drugs, weapons, pornography, and gambling. One of the most infamous examples, the Silk Road online marketplace, was taken down by the FBI in 2013.
However, the dark web isn’t used solely for criminal purposes. It also provides a secure platform for whistle-blowers, activists, and journalists who face censorship or risk punishment from oppressive governments. A prominent example is WikiLeaks, which operates on the dark web to protect its sources and maintain confidentiality.