Deep Web

The term deep web is often used to refer to hidden service .onion websites build on top of the Tor dark web. However, in its original sense, it refers simply to web content that is inaccessible via traditional search engines. Today, the terms deep web and dark web are nebulous, with technology companies, sociologists, technology journalists, and Wikipedians all attempting to tease apart the overlapping and confusing definitions. Lexicographer Jane Solomon reported in mid-2015 that deep web so often appeared in place of or in combination with dark web that it was taking on a life of its own. One common misconception about the dark web and the deep web is that these two terms are interchangeable. This entry discusses the history of the term ...