Ways to Improve Your Knowledge with the Deep Web

What makes the current time so different from the past centuries or even decades? For sure, it is the overall access to the Internet as the source of communication, information, entertainment, education, and lots of other activities. Is there any daily activity that does not involve the web in some way? Well, probably there are some, but it is not easy to think about them at once. There are multiple web pages on all possible subjects, and the use of such search engines as Google, Yahoo, Bing, and others makes access to them really smooth and hassle-free. Still, a regular search attempt can result in getting only limited amounts of information. How large is the scope of this restriction? You will be appalled to know that the invisible web actually takes more than 90 % of the Internet sources. Googling on the surface web, you can access about 0.03% of the web resources, which is a bite size fraction!

Surface Web vs. Invisible Web 

What actually makes Deep Web get so far from the surface? The answer to this question is in the peculiar features of the indexation by search engines. At the very beginning of the era of internet, only some web pages were indexed and the content was stored only partially. The focus of indexing data was on research, and search results demonstrated only the actual stored content.

What is the actual scope of the Deep Web? It is not possible to give any exact estimations but it is reasonable to assume that its size exceeds that of the surface web by 500 times. The webpages of invisible web actually operate in accordance with the standard rules for all online sites, but no crawlers can see them. Although the existence of the Deep Web is no longer a secret, there are still lots of misunderstandings and stereotypes related to it.

Where is the Content of the Invisible Web?

Try to guess where you can find the sources not visible in your Google search lines. Your first try is unsuccessful! No, it is not outside the web! It is actually within it but you cannot access it. Why?

• Content is unpublished

Some users save the information on the website with no actual publishing. Bloggers are aware of how that happens. Thus, as soon as you save some data, they are online. However, they are hidden and no search engine can trace them until you decide to publish them.

• Content is under protection

Some information is protected with passwords, CAPTCHA, or subscription. The content you need is online, but you cannot trace it until you get to know login details, undergo a verification process, or subscribe to this particular website.

• Content can be accessed through some other software, tool, or application

You need to get a university book which is definitely available online, but you cannot access it via a search engine. The same happens when you want to make use of the government data. What you need is access to corresponding tools or websites.

These are only several examples of how website content can be hidden, but they give at least some idea of why you cannot find what you need online.

Examples of Other Types of Invisible Web Content

• Database query results
• Webpages which are not linked by other webpages
• Content with technical limitations
• Texts outside the https:// or http:// protocols

Is Deep Web That Evil?

Unfortunately, anonymous search of hidden Internet resources has launched a number of criminal activities related to weapons, drugs, pornography, and passports for purchase. That has created an evil reputation of the Deep Web although it functions not only to cover the illegal activities on the Internet, but also to ensure anonymity to those users who want to work untraceably.

News frequently tells the stories of international sales of weapons, purchasing drugs with the help of cryptocurrency transactions, or kidnapping. Still, there is much unspoken about the opportunities the Deep Web offers. Putting aside the fears and stereotypes, it is possible to use them for free communication in such countries as China with blocked social media and websites. If the country is politically unstable, the citizens gather in groups, arrange protests, and discuss the news in the privacy of invisible web environment without any supervision by the government or police.

What if you are not in Turkey or China? If you are an average citizen of New York, can you make use of the hidden resources of the web? Some keen readers look for banned articles and books, other users read the news the governments try to conceal. Some just do not like the idea of being under control, so you might also find some use out of the vast invisible resources.

How Can You Access the Deep Web?

It is amazing to fancy the scope of information available in the hidden layers of the online world. Still the question is how you can gain access to that treasure shut away from a common user? One of the most wide-spread ways to do that is through the Onion Router or TOR browser that lets the users access the sites without indexation. What it does is peeling the layers of encryption of the websites, but it is not the only method of making the hidden content visible.

Here are some other ways to gain the desired access:

• subscription
• membership in a research or professional association with access to databases of peer-reviewed journals
• VPN

Thus, if people know not only about the illegal activities on the web, but also about lots of research and education opportunities, they will definitely try accessing the Invisible Web and searching for the content they need. A common Google search fails in finding the required information for research. Internet offers much more than social media! This is the message sent by the enthusiasts of the Deep Web to the educators and students all over the world. Stereotypes and prejudice prevent them from getting so much more from their google searches. If the students knew about the use of hidden resources, they would have an exciting prospect and a chance to start an exciting journey in the world of new knowledge. They would actually go beyond the social media and google and enter a new stage of development. For sure, that should be done wisely and cautiously.