January 27, 2023
Normal users simply open their browser, search Google and check their social networks. But with everything that has come to light in recent years: government spy programs, companies that provide services that almost all of us use and collect our personal information to sell it to the highest bidder, censorship in different parts of the world and citizen blockade. People are increasingly well versed in the knowledge they need to protect their identities, circumvent censorship, and discover other layers of the web. This is where the Deep Web or deep Internet arises. In this post we explain what it consists of, how to access it, what we can find and the differences with the Dark Web.
The concepts of the "Deep Web" and "Invisible Web" have been around longer than you might expect. Back in the mid-1990s, tech professionals began noticing that huge portions of the internet existed beyond what search engines could uncover. The term "Invisible Web" popped up first, used to describe well-designed websites that simply weren’t registered with search engines, making them practically invisible to everyday users. If a site didn’t give itself up to AltaVista, Yahoo, or Lycos, it slipped quietly beneath the radar.
By the late '90s, information experts and software developers started building tools like @1 to dig into these unseen layers. Eventually, in 2001, the phrase "Deep Web" became the standard way to talk about all of this non-indexed content. So, while your browser might only skim the surface, the majority of the web's real mass has been known all along as something deep, or invisible, lurking just beneath.
Although the Deep Web is famously elusive, both researchers and major search engines have spent years developing clever ways to unlock its hidden troves of information. Since much of this content sits behind forms or requires specific queries (think advanced university databases or password-only portals), traditional search engines simply can’t reach it through standard crawling.
To tackle this, specialists have designed automated "crawlers" that interact with search forms just like a human would, by filling in keywords, dates, and categories to reveal the content behind them. Early academic efforts produced hidden-web crawlers capable of automatically figuring out what forms expect as input, submitting creative searches, and then collecting the results. Languages were even developed to help extract structured data directly from form-based result pages.
On the commercial side, companies like Google have taken this a step further. They rolled out protocols that let websites themselves signal what internal pages are available, sort of raising a flag so search engines know where to look. Additionally, Google devised a system that anticipates possible form submissions, runs those queries, and indexes the resulting pages. These systematic efforts allow search engines to surface Deep Web material that used to be invisible, making previously hidden scholarly articles, public records, and other resources available to a much broader audience.
The Deep Web refers to all content on the World Wide Web that is not part of the Surface Web, that is, content that is not on websites that can be indexed by search engines and can be accessed regularly by any user. . browser.
Although it is hard to believe, so much so that for many it is just an urban legend, the Deep Web makes up the majority of the Internet. It is approximately 7.5 petabytes (1 petabyte is 1000 terabytes). The web that we all know (Facebook, Wikipedia, blogs, etc.) represents less than 1% of the total Internet.
The idea is simple and confusing at the same time, but the net has been compared to the ocean. On the surface of the sea are search engines, which collect the websites that are linked to each other, static pages, like this website, for example. This is the area of the ocean that we can “surf”. The databases are located a little further down. When a database is queried, it generates a unique page that is not indexed by search engines and therefore is not part of the Surface Web.
Think of it this way: most of the Deep Web’s content resides in searchable databases, which only reveal their information when you make a direct query, like searching for a book title in a library catalog. Without that specific search, the information simply stays hidden, never showing up on a typical search engine results page. When you do make a query, the database creates a dynamic web page just for that moment. These dynamic pages might get a unique URL, but they aren’t persistent like regular web pages; once you leave, they’re gone unless you search again.
The Deep Web is filled with these hidden pockets of information. files, images, and even entire websites, that search engines like Google or Bing can’t reach. Instead of being stored as static, interconnected pages, Deep Web content is tucked away, only produced in real time as a response to someone’s direct request. Searching here is a bit different too: instead of crawling through endless links, specialised search tools can automate dozens of direct database queries at once, helping to uncover information that would otherwise stay submerged.
Academic publications, like private scientific journals, are also not part of the surface, because they are hidden on individual pages within private networks. Many pages are also hidden because they are part of an intranet, usually from companies or universities.
The Deep Web is not a toy, and the darkness that surrounds it has made it a niche for the worst things imaginable: drug trafficking, pornography, weapons, and even contract killers. They say you don't surf the Deep Web, you dive into it.
Instead of search engines, it has a few reference sites where you can start your search, like The Hidden Wiki, but be very careful because you might come across things you'd rather not see or others don't want you to see.
Within the mysterious depths of the Deep Web, not all pages are created, or accessed, equally. Two main types often puzzle both the curious beginner and the seasoned explorer: dynamic content and unlinked content.
Both classifications add to the vast, hidden majority of the Deep Web, content that you won’t find unless you know exactly where (or how) to look, underscoring just how immense and enigmatic the ocean really is.
The Deep Web is defined as the portion of the Internet that is hidden from conventional search engines, through encryption; the set of non-indexed websites.
On the other hand, the Dark web is defined as the part of the Internet that is intentionally hidden from search engines, uses masked IP addresses, and can only be accessed with a special web browser: it is part of the deep web.
While both the deep web and the dark web are in the news about illegal behavior online, the dark web is only a small part of the deep web where users employ masked IP addresses to hide their identity.
While the Dark Web is all that deliberately hidden content that we find on the Internet, darknets are those specific networks like TOR or I2P that host those pages. The darknet refers to networks that are not indexed by search engines like Google, Yahoo or Bing. These are networks that are only available to a select group of people and not to the general Internet public, and are only accessible with specific authorisation, software, and configurations.
One of the most well-known darknets is Tor, originally short for "The Onion Router." Tor is free software designed to enable online anonymity. It directs Internet traffic through a global volunteer network of thousands of relays, concealing a user’s location and usage from anyone conducting network surveillance or traffic analysis. This system makes it far more difficult to trace Internet activity, such as visits to websites, online posts, instant messages, and other communications, back to the user.
The term "onion routing" refers to the multiple layers of encryption used. When data is sent through Tor, it's encrypted and re-encrypted several times, then passed through a virtual circuit of randomly selected Tor relays. Each relay decrypts just one layer to reveal the next relay in the circuit, passing along the still-encrypted data. The final relay decrypts the last layer and sends the original data to its destination, without knowing or revealing the sender’s identity. This layered approach not only keeps the content secure in transit but also hides the origin and route of the communication, making it a powerful tool for privacy, anonymity, and, unfortunately, for those pursuing illicit activities.
Finally, the Clearweb is the section of the Internet that can be accessed from any browser and is regularly crawled and indexed by search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
To understand how Tor protects your privacy, it helps to picture the process like passing a secret note through several friends, each adding and removing their own layer of wrapping. The technical term for this is “onion routing,” and it’s what makes Tor such a tough nut for snoopers to crack.
Here’s how it works in a nutshell:
This method makes it incredibly difficult for anyone, be it your internet provider, a government agency, or an opportunistic hacker, to trace your actions back to you or figure out exactly what you're doing online. In essence, you leave behind a labyrinth, not a breadcrumb trail.
When you search for a word or phrase on a search engine like Google, the search engine “crawls” across the Internet to find surface-level results.
Since Deep Web content is never part of this surface layer, you cannot find Deep Web content using a traditional search engine.
As a precaution, using the Firefox browser will prevent your browsing history from being tracked. This prevents retroactive searches from interfering with your access to Deep Web materials and ensures a degree of privacy not found in other browsers. As with any browser, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) will still be able to see your browsing activity if they search for it.
DuckDuckGo, found at https://duckduckgo.com/, is a private search engine that can index both surface-level web results and deep web resources. While unlikely, you may be able to find some Deep Web results here.
The main disadvantage of using DuckDuckGo is that popular surface-level web results are more likely to appear than less-traveled deep web results. You can try to find Deep Web results through DuckDuckGo by browsing to the final search results pages.
If you want to search for a specific type of database, do the following:
While more secure than previous versions, Windows 10 still contains security flaws that make it exceptionally vulnerable to hacking attempts or viruses while browsing the Deep Web. Linux is highly recommended for people planning to use the Dark Web.
To truly access the deeper and more hidden areas of the web, you’ll often need more than just a private search engine, you’ll need specialised software. One of the most well-known tools is Tor (The Onion Router).
Tor is free software designed to enable online anonymity. It works by directing your Internet traffic through a free, worldwide volunteer network of thousands of relays, making it extremely difficult for anyone conducting network surveillance or traffic analysis to trace your activity or location. The “onion routing” technique refers to the multiple layers of encryption used: your original data is encrypted, then re-encrypted several times, and sent through a virtual circuit of randomly selected Tor relays. Each relay decrypts just enough to know where to send the data next, but never the full details, so neither your identity nor your destination is ever fully exposed.
This layered encryption helps protect your personal privacy, freedom, and ability to conduct confidential business or research online, shielding your activity from prying eyes.
The deep web is mistakenly associated with illegal dark web activity all the time, and is also called the invisible or hidden web, further baffling its surprisingly normal uses.
The deep web is not just a market for drugs and other illegal items; that description is not remotely accurate. The deep web is mostly harmless and extremely important to protect our personal information and privacy.
The hidden world of the Deep Web contains a wealth of data, information, and a host of possibilities, including but not limited to:
The Deep Web is not always illegal and many activities are carried out that are completely within the context of the law. Activities like the ones listed below are common on the Deep Web:
In total, there are 8 levels of the web. Here is a detailed description:
Level 0 – Common Web: This level is the one you browse every day: YouTube, Facebook, Wikipedia and other famous or easily accessible websites can be found here.
Tier 1 – Surface Web: This is a tier still accessible through normal means, but contains “more obscure” websites, such as Reddit.
Level 2 – Bergie Web: This is the last normally accessible level: all levels after this must be accessed with a proxy, Tor or by modifying your hardware. At this level you can find some “underground” but still indexed websites, like 4chan.
Level 3 – Deep Web: The first part of this level must be accessed with a proxy. Contains CP, gore, website hacking… Here begins the Deep Web. The second part of this level is only accessible through Tor and contains more sensitive information.
Level 4 – Charter Web: This level is also divided into two parts. The former can be accessed via Tor. There are things like drug and human trafficking, banned movies and books, and black markets. The second part can be accessed through a hardware modification: a “Closed Shell System”. This part of Charter Web contains hardcore PC, experimental hardware information, but also more obscure information.
Level 5 – Marianas Web: You will be lucky to find someone who knows. Probably secret government documentation. Most of the information that could affect us directly is said to reside here. Unlike previous levels, which can be reached either by proxy, Tor, or a closed shell system, Marianas Web is believed to be locked behind quantum-level encryption. In simpler terms, you would need a quantum computer to even attempt access.
Level 6 is an intermediary between Marianas Web and level 7.
Level 7 – The Fog/Virus Soup: This level is like a war zone. Everyone for himself and everyone is trying to reach level 8. People try to prevent others from reaching level 8 in whatever way is necessary.
Level 8 – The Primarch System: This is the last level of the web. It is impossible to access directly the Primarch System is literally what controls the internet at the time. No government controls it. In fact, no one even knows what it is. It's an anomaly that was basically discovered by scans of the super deep network in the early 2000s. The eighth layer is believed to be separated by a quantum-level function lock.
As with any journey into the deeper layers of the web, proceed with caution, curiosity, and a healthy respect for your own privacy and security.
Beyond the often-dramatised illegal content, the deeper layers of the web are rumored to store a fascinating array of experimental data and research documents. Tech enthusiasts and conspiracy theorists alike whisper about blueprints for Nikola Tesla’s lesser-known inventions, theoretical models for new energy sources, and even documents describing crystalline power systems. Quantum computing is a hot topic, with speculative files covering experimental processors, think concepts like Gadolinium Gallium Garnet as a substrate for quantum electronic research, raising eyebrows among those with a taste for the bleeding edge.
You might also stumble across papers discussing artificial superintelligence, as well as datasets and research logs related to a variety of fringe scientific experiments. While it’s impossible to verify every claim or document, stories persist about classified government technologies, experimental AI prototypes, and esoteric projects lurking in the farthest reaches of the Deep Web.
Delving further into these lesser-known depths, you'll also discover a trove of advanced research and experimental ideas, some intriguing, some speculative, others bordering on the conspiratorial. For instance, among the academic and enthusiast circles populating these lower layers, there’s considerable chatter about crystalline power technologies and materials research that's worlds away from your average textbook.
Take crystalline power metrics, for example. Modern material science is already fascinated with how the arrangement of atoms in a crystal, think silicon or synthetic garnets, affects their use in electronics and optics. Discussions here, however, go even further. There are claims about powerful energy sources derived from specific crystal structures, sometimes stretching into science fiction, but still, intriguing food for thought.
One case in point is the use of synthetic garnets (like gadolinium gallium garnet, or GGG) in advanced optics and data storage. Enthusiasts delve into how these highly pure crystals can store enormous amounts of information, using techniques akin to 3D etching with lasers, far beyond standard hard drives or glass storage, and raising thought-provoking possibilities about the future of information storage.
Then there are the ever-present echoes of Tesla, Nikola Tesla, that is. Beyond AC power, Tesla’s alleged “hidden experiments” around limitless energy and unconventional data transmission keep surfacing in these forums. Some claim copper-and-iron wire arrays outperform fiber optics for specific data transfers. Others dissect old patents hoping to uncover secrets that, they argue, could disrupt whole industries if made public, oil included.
Finally, the more you wander, the more you’ll find concepts bordering on the fantastic: blueprints for autonomous superintelligence systems, quantum computing experiments, and descriptions of ongoing projects that, if real, would be at home in a techno-thriller.
Of course, while some of these discussions are grounded in cutting-edge science, many blur into legend and Internet folklore. But that’s part of the Deep Web’s strange allure, it’s a crossroads where scientific ambition and myth-making intertwine.
Let's see the main myths and facts about the Deep Web:
The Deep Web refers to all parts of the internet that search engines cannot index. This includes things like online banking portals, private databases, and password-protected content. It makes up most of the internet, far more than the visible web we use daily.
The Deep Web is simply content not indexed by search engines. The dark web, however, is a small, intentionally hidden part of the Deep Web that uses masked IP addresses and requires specific software, like Tor, to access. It's known for anonymity, which can unfortunately facilitate illicit activities.
Most Deep Web content, especially dynamic pages from databases, cannot be found or accessed by standard search engines or browsers. While some private search engines might find a few resources, specialised tools like Tor are needed for deeper layers.
No, that's a common misconception. The majority of the Deep Web is perfectly legitimate and harmless. It hosts academic journals, company intranets, personal email accounts, and other private data. Illegal activities are mostly confined to the much smaller dark web.
Onion routing is a technique used by networks like Tor to protect user anonymity. Data is encrypted in multiple layers, like an onion, and sent through a series of volunteer relays. Each relay peels off one layer of encryption, revealing the next step, but never the full path or the user's identity. This makes tracing online activity very difficult.
