I felt compelled to answer this question, because it’s asked so commonly - let me just get it out there. There are no “levels” to the deep web. Any of the so-called infographics that claim that there are levels are wrong, and ridiculous. I know this isn’t the answer that most people want to hear, but it just doesn’t work that way.
What perpetuated this idea were some of the (mis)infographics that started circulating around when the Silk Road was first shut down in 2013, claiming that there were levels to the “deep web,” particularly the one below:
This infographic is utter nonsense - please don’t believe a word it says. (For instance, why is 4chan portrayed as being “below the surface”?) Rather, what actually exists are different anonymity networks, which are what people have in mind when they use the terms “deep web” and “dark web.”
Some of these networks include: Tor, I2P, Freenet, GNUnet, and ZeroNet. Perhaps you’ve heard of Tor. (It can be downloaded at Tor Project | Privacy Online).
I2P, Freenet, and ZeroNet are different networks that achieve anonymity in different ways than Tor does, but regardless - they don’t take you any “deeper” or “shallower” into the web than what you can normally access. Here are some screenshots of those:
These networks enable you to send email, send messages, chat, set up websites, and download files anonymously. It’s the “anonymity” part that people sometimes confuse with going “deeper” into the web. Freenet can be downloaded at Freenet, I2P can be downloaded at I2P Anonymous Network, and ZeroNet can be downloaded at Decentralized websites using Bitcoin crypto and the BitTorrent network. And there’s also a newer network called dn42 (Decentralized network 42) that was created for experimental purposes - it’s a bit more complicated than the others, but if you’re interested, go here: home.
There are also some anonymous peer-to-peer (P2P) networks that might be considered part of the dark web, such as Perfect Dark (Perfect Dark guide), Osiris
, Phex , MUTE, or Umbra - these are primarily used for filesharing, messaging, or creating web portals anonymously (as in the case of Osiris). However, some of this software is no longer being developed, including Umbra and Osiris.Beyond these, there are wireless mesh networks, which are communications networks made up of radio nodes. A few examples of different mesh networks (or protocols) are: Netsukuku, CCNx
, cjdns, Ninux, Freifunk, Serval and B.A.T.M.A.N. (Better Approach To Mobile Ad-hoc Networking). Mesh networks are still in an experimental phase, and haven’t been widely accepted yet. To access them, you need a router that can connect to the network, or an app for your mobile device that can do the same. Of the ones above, I’ve used cjdns, Ninux, Freifunk, and Serval.Metaphorically speaking, the “deepest” level would be networks that have very restricted access, possibly only to government agencies like the NSA, FBI, or CIA, or to some military branches. Examples of such networks would be SIPRNet, NIPRNet, CAVNET, GWAN, NSANET, and JWICS. These networks are not part of the internet, technically speaking. I suppose these would be the closest thing to an actual “Marianas Web” that exists, since they have such limited access and protect sensitive or classified information. The types of information shared over these networks probably resemble something along the lines of what’s been published in WikiLeaks. There are also private networks used by corporations and other organizations, which have limited access.
In truth, the term “deep web” has more to do with search engines than to do with any of these things. A web page is considered part of the “deep web” if it is unindexed by standard search engines like Google and Bing. This would even include such mundane things as the confidential details of your banking site, a private Instagram profile, or a WordPress blog that has been designated private.
The “dark web,” on the other hand, is a catch-all term for the content that exists on “darknets,” like the networks I mentioned above. Unfortunately, it’s likely that these terms will always get mixed up. And just about all of those so-called “infographics” that try to explain the deep web are wrong. I just thought I’d put my two cents in.
For further reading: http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Deep_web
Private peer-to-peer - Wikipedia
Wireless mesh network - Wikipedia
Classified United States website - Wikipedia
Footnotes