How to get a Finnish IP address
The easiest way to improve your digital privacy is to switch your IP address using a VPN. We’ll …
The dark web provides its users with a level of privacy and anonymity that the surface web can’t provide. However, using it is also dangerous, unless you are well-prepared for the online dangers that lurk in its crevices. Read on to learn what the dark web is, what its advantages and disadvantages are, and the things that you can do to stay safe, including using a malware protection VPN.
Not all information on the World Wide Web is indexed by search engines. In fact, information that can be accessed using search engines only make up four percent of all information available on the Internet; this is called the surface web. The rest — the part that isn’t searchable on Google or Bing — is called the deep web.
The dark web is part of the deep web. What makes the deep web different from the dark web is that the former is made up of pages that are not indexed but are still accessible if you visit them directly. The dark web, on the other hand, is made up of pages and files that have been intentionally hidden, and accessing it requires specific software and protocols, such as the Tor network and the peer-to-peer platform Freenet.
Anonymity is the main reason why people use the dark web. When you use the dark web, your information is protected from surface web spies and you can browse without the worry of being traced or censored by the authorities. Content found on the dark web also cannot be found on the surface web, which opens up a whole new world of content consumption for users.
Because of its anonymous nature, however, the dark web is also a haven for the most villainous characters on the Internet. Hacking and malware attacks lurk in every corner, and it’s common to find content and activities that are malicious, ranging from sites accommodate the illegal trading of drugs and weapons to child pornography, human trafficking and recipes involving prohibited meat.
Surfing the dark web is dangerous and leaving your device unprotected can lead to serious consequences if you’re not careful. Follow these simple tips for better security when using the dark web.
Hotspot Shield is a malware protection VPN for Android, Windows, OS X, and iOS devices. Hotspot Shield can also be downloaded as extensions for Chrome and Firefox. To learn more about it and its numerous features, please visit the Hotspot Shield website. You can download the free version here.
Read our blog for more online privacy, security, and anonymity tips!