The Dark Web - Its Origins & Current Use [extract]
The Dark Web - Its Origins & Current Use
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The Dark Web refers to a concealed segment of the internet, accessible only through specialised software such as The Onion Router (Tor), which ensures user anonymity by routing traffic through multiple servers.
Distinct from the Deep Web, which encompasses unindexed content like private databases or login-required sites (e.g., email, banking), the Dark Web is a small subset of the Deep Web designed for anonymity.
Unlike standard browsers or search engines like Google, Dark Web sites, typically ending in .onion, require Tor to access. In contrast, the Open Web (or Surface Web) is publicly indexed, representing approximately 4% of internet content.
History
Mid-1990s: Inception of Onion Routing
In the mid-1990s, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, through scientists Paul Syverson, David Goldschlag, and Michael Reed, developed *onion routing* to safeguard U.S. intelligence communications. Funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), this technology was patented by the U.S. Navy in 1998.
2000: Freenet’s Emergence
The Dark Web’s foundation was laid with the release of Freenet in 2000, a decentralised anonymous network created by Ian Clarke at the University of Edinburgh. Freenet enabled anonymous communication and file sharing, setting the stage for later developments.
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(Full article length: 940 words)
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