Wikipedia is often the first stop for many information seekers searching for definitions. This free encyclopedia service is a great platform to start one’s search, but just like the whale, diving in a little deeper leads to a better understanding.

As I type in ‘Deep Web’, I think back to when I would interchange this term with the ‘Dark Web’. I had no idea they were two different sections of the Internet. All I knew was I couldn’t access them using a simple internet search or web address.

According to Wikipedia, the Deep Web is a section of the World Wide Web whose contents is not accessed through standard search engines. Therefore, when accessing content on the Deep Web, a direct URL or IP address may be required, accompanied by login forms and passwords. Such content on the Deep Web includes online banking, online news services and restricted access profiles.

Upon further investigation, according to

https://www.upguard.com/blog/dark-web-vs-deep-web

The Deep Web has two distinct factors: obscurity and authentication. Obscurity refers to the inability to find content in a standard search engine such as Google. Authentication refers to the requirement of proving one’s identity to access the systems or information.

The majority of Internet information is found on the Deep Web. Whether it is to access subject material on Interact2, online banking or catching up on subscription news feeds, each requires a specific process to connect to and authenticate ourselves before accessing the data.