By Akhil Kumar:
Late last year, Facebook unveiled a dedicated URL for the Deep Web that can only be accessed through the TOR browser. What is the ‘Deep Web‘, and why is Facebook’s presence there worthy of a post, you ask? Well, Deep Web isn’t a place most brands would like to be on. “Searching on the Internet today can be compared to dragging a net across the surface of the ocean. While a great deal may be caught in the net, there is still a wealth of information that is deep, and therefore, missed,” says Michael Bergman, the CEO of BrightPlanet, a firm that harvests data from the Dark Web. Interest in the Dark Web has spiked ever since the nabbing of Ross William Ulbricht, founder of Silk Road, described as “the most sophisticated and extensive criminal marketplace on the internet today“. For those interested in knowing more about it, here‘s a detailed story.
The Deep Web has earned a notorious reputation, with many reports even claiming that the Islamic State is using it for terrorist activities, and also because of it’s widespread image as a place that provides easy access to child porn, illegal drugs, weapons etc. While the Dark Web has earned most of its notoriety, it must also be noted that there isn’t much on the Dark Web that is not already available on the surface web anyway. Also, it might help citizens living under oppressive regimes to circumvent state censorship, and make the internet freer. However, that’s an exhaustive debate altogether and demands a dedicated post of its own. For now, watch this video that explains the bizarre place called the ‘Deep Web‘, and why Facebook is interested in it. If this video interests you and you want to know more, I recommend that you read this short yet insightful article by Andy Greenberg on The Wired.
