Learn to navigate the Deep Web with these search engines
cc2.- Jose Antonio Lawrence
Updated on October 26, 2022 • 15:11
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Deep Web with these search engines
Internet users are increasingly curious about the Deep Web that is not indexed in the usual search engines such as Google, Yahoo! or Bing. According to experts, this hidden part could be much larger than the Internet we use every day. Thus, it is estimated that the Deep Web occupies around 90% of the content of the World Wide Web. If we want to access all this information, we can also use our own search engines that are different from the traditional ones. In this tutorial we will talk about how to enter the Deep Web with these search engines that will make it easier for us to navigate through it.

The first thing we are going to do is know what the Deep Web is and why it exists. Then we will see if we can access it with any type of browser and how we can enter. Then you can access the Deep Web with these search engines that we have selected for you.

What is the Deep Web and why does it exist?
The Deep Web is also known as the “deep internet”, “hidden internet” or “invisible internet”. This concept is attributed to computer scientist Mike Bergman and refers to Internet content that is not indexed by conventional search engines, such as Google, due to various factors. The main reason why the Deep Web exists is because there is information that is not wanted to be indexed by the main search engines such as Google, Yahoo! or Bing, for this reason, we have specific search engines where this information is indexed within the Tor network.

The Tor network is the basis of the Deep Web, in the world of Tor all the traffic is encrypted and anonymized, because we go through different nodes between an origin and a destination, in fact, we could access the normal web through the network Tor to anonymize all network traffic as much as possible. Of course, when someone builds a website on the Tor network, the only way to access it is with direct links, there is no indexing, although we do have some “search engines” that have a large number of Tor addresses to access directly. these services.

You should keep in mind that it is not the same as the Dark Web, although this part of the Internet is within the deep web. The content on the Deep Web is not necessarily illegal, it is simply going to remain hidden from traditional browsers and search engines. And yes, that makes it possible for hackers to take advantage of crimes and access forums where they exchange stolen data or malware. That would be the Dark Web.

Why is the Deep Web hidden?
In general, a large number of users always think of the Deep Web as something illegal, and that is why it remains hidden. Nothing could be further from the truth. On the Deep Web we can find illegal content, yes, but this can also be found on the conventional internet, with the only difference that it is much more likely to be treated than it is on the Deep Web. But this is not precisely why it is hidden, but rather there are many reasons.

Almost any content on the Deep Web uses the .onion domain extension, with domain names encoded with Hash frames. Therefore, records cannot be generated on the servers, but it is this same domain that acts as a DNS server. And this is where we find the main reason why it is hidden, and it is none other than the security of browsing completely anonymously, where no record of our presence is kept on the websites that we can find.

who controls it
In this case, we are dealing with a decentralized network, which means that there is no center as such that leads to being able to block it or have some type of control, at least completely.

The control is based on the users’ own domains, which can be controlled as such, but only up to a certain point where they do not involve any type of registration.

Deep Web Tiers
Even on the Deep Web, it is most likely that we will not be able to access all the sites we want, because even on the hidden web, there is content that is hidden, and it is not accessible even by knowing the access routes. All of this is divided into eight levels, ranging from what we know to what we are totally unaware of. These are.

Level 0: The common web.
Level 1: Surface Web.
Level 2: Bergie Web
Level 3: Deep Web
Level 4: Charter Web
Level 5: Marianas Web
Level 6: Works as an intermediary
Level 7: The Fog/Virus Soup
Level 8: The Primarch system. Which is impossible to access.
You can not enter like any website
You must bear in mind that it is not possible to access the Deep Web in the same way that you do in the rest of the pages. For example, it is not simply to enter Chrome and write RedesZone.net in the address bar and enter. This is not that simple, as you will see. That is why you will need certain tools to be able to enter the deep web, although it is not that complicated.

Search engines like Google do not work
Although the vast majority of us use search engines such as Google, Bing or Yahoo!, as we have explained before, the information found in Tor is not indexed in these search engines and therefore it will be necessary to resort to others to access the web pages found in this part of the Internet. Therefore, you will not be able to access the Deep Web through the “normal” search engines, but you will have to use specific search engines to browse all the content that is on the Deep Web.

What we could look for in Google and other search engines are the specific browsers or operating systems to enter the deep web, such as the popular Tor Browser, which is widely used to easily navigate Tor without the need to forward all traffic. Internet, something that would not be highly recommended to do.

Your browser might not work
In principle, you can use your normal browser , but you must install a program to forward all the traffic from your computer through the Tor network, in this way, you could use a normal browser like Firefox or Google Chrome, however, the most It is recommended to use a specific web browser to navigate the Tor network, such as the Tor Browser which is based on Firefox. It is the simplest and you will not have to configure anything.

With this web browser you won’t have to install any type of additional program, we will simply have to install Tor Browser and we will start browsing the Tor network without the need for any additional software. It is available for operating systems such as Windows, Linux or Android and is completely free.

There are certain services on the Internet that offer the possibility of entering its .Onion version. For example, the social network Twitter has its own version available . If you try to open it from Chrome or Firefox you will see that it gives you an error and you cannot enter. On the other hand, if you open that same URL from the Tor browser, you will be able to enter without problems.

Can they spy on me on the Deep Web?
The heyday of searching for content and storing it in this part of the Internet is caused by cases of espionage that have been discovered in recent years. Especially that of the NSA marked a turning point, but today there are many companies that are accused of spying on users or collecting data illegitimately, despite the existing privacy statement in the service.

In principle, only the entry and exit nodes of the Tor network could obtain the information in plain text and spy on the users, however, in the event that we use an extra layer of security such as a VPN, this would not be possible. because the information is already encrypted internally in the tunnel.

There have been cases where certain Tor nodes have had vulnerabilities and that has exposed data. Therefore, if you want to preserve your privacy as much as possible and avoid problems, it is a good idea to have programs that encrypt the connection, such as ExpressVPN or NordVPN.

How can we enter the hidden Internet
If you wonder if we can access it through the main search engines, the answer is no. We have to enter the Deep Web with the search engines DuckDuckGo, Torch, The Hidden Wiki and more that we will see next. Regarding the browser, the usual browsers would not work for us either. We are going to have to use the Tor Browser which uses the Tor network (The Onion Router). This network works in a special way, in this case it is based on a layer technique that serves to protect communications and guarantee anonymity on the Internet. The Tor network works by encrypting the information at its entrance and decrypts it at the exit of said network, this is known as onion routing.

Therefore, it is clear that, in order to access the content of the Deep Web, it is necessary to access it through Tor, mainly because we want to avoid that this type of query can be tracked. In addition, the Tor browser is in charge of resolving .onion domains and showing Internet users the websites of the hidden internet. The first thing we have to do is download it from its official website . It is a cross-platform browser and we have it for Windows, Linux, MacOS and Android. Once the installation is finished, we execute it and we will see a screen like this:

Here all we have to do is press Connect to route your traffic through the Tor network. If you want, you can also activate the ” Always connect automatically ” box and the Tor browser will start connected to the network that bears its name. Now we are going to work on the Deep Web with these search engines whose name we have already mentioned on more than one occasion.

The Hidden Wiki
As for Hidden Wiki , from a strict point of view we could not consider it as a search engine. However, since it contains an updated list of links to the main Deep Web sites, it makes us pay close attention as a starting point.

The reason why it is very important in the Tor network is because the URLs that are used with .onion change very often. For example, as can be seen above, onion domains are now being migrated from version 2 to version 3, which entails changes. However, in the Introduction Points section we can access the Deep Web with these search engines if we click on its link:

In summary, The Hidden Wiki provides us with an excellent tool in case the URLs of the different websites are changed, it is a way of having everything centralized.

DuckDuckGo
We can define DuckDuckGo as an independent search engine, whose main hallmark is that it does not collect information about its users. His philosophy focuses on the privacy of Internet users. This search engine also exists on the usual web that we all know, in fact, if you want to protect your privacy and security when browsing the “normal” web, we recommend using DuckDuckGo. It is one of the most popular.

One thing that sets it apart from other search engines is that it doesn’t work based on a user’s past searches, preferences, or location. In the vast majority of results we will obtain the same as with a conventional search engine, but protected with the privacy offered by the Tor network.

Surely you have ever put things like “the weather” or “restaurants” and results appear in Google according to your location . Results may also come out based on other things you’ve previously searched for. This happens because they collect certain data, such as where you are.

torch
We can consider Torch as one of the best search engines on the Deep Web and also as one of the longest-lived and most popular. Its operation is similar and you will also need the Tor browser to be able to enter and perform searches to keep your privacy safe.

This search engine ensures that it has more than a million pages indexed in its database. If we want to obtain unusual things, it may be an option, although sometimes you find links down because they have not been updated correctly, however, there is a huge amount of information to be able to navigate the Deep Web.

ahmia
Ahmia is another very useful search engine to find a lot of information on the Deep Web, with the previous search engines and with Ahmia we have all the ingredients to start using the Tor network and browse the deep web. This would be the main screen of this search engine:

One thing that Ahmia stands out for is that it has a more careful design than most of the sites we find on the Deep Web. One of its characteristics is that it has a blacklist system, where everything it finds to be excessively objectionable is eliminated so as not to hurt the user’s sensibilities. We find a web page that is quite fast and that will not make us wait for a long time.

NotEvil
Another search engine that we can use is NotEvil . Its operation is very simple, it will suffice to delimit well with the keywords what you are looking for. You will only have to use the search bar and press the Search button to make your queries. This would be your main screen:

In this case, it has all kinds of links that will take you to pages that are useful to you, and also, it does not contain annoying ads. On the other hand, its interface is simple and it will be quite easy for you to adapt to it.

Project Gutenberg
In this case we are faced with a search engine that has a specific purpose, differentiating itself from the others in this aspect. With it we will not be able to search many web pages as is normal.

This platform is intended for searching for books online, with free downloads and in a wide variety of languages. This browser also has a version that is indexed. The content offered is basically in the public domain, which may be because the copyright has already expired or there is authorization from the author or rights holder.

TorLinks
Another website within the Deep Web that is very popular is to directly access TorLinks. On this website we can see the URL of many web pages of the Deep Web, we will find it divided into sections to facilitate access to all the information. For example, we will have commercial and non-commercial links related to financial services, commercial, drug, domain services, adult themes and even gambling we will also have.

TorLinks

We have to enter the following URL: http://torlinksd6pdnihy.onion/ . Logically, it is absolutely necessary to enter with the Tor Browser web browser or with any other web browser that is connected to the Tor network. Otherwise you will get an error.

As you have seen, we have many search engines to navigate the deep web comfortably, yes, there will be some links that do not work or that the loading of the different websites is really slow, so you will have to be patient. It is the price to pay for the anonymity, privacy and security of communications.

Dangers of browsing the Deep Web
The Deep Web allows us to navigate with more privacy as well as see hidden information. But we cannot access it lightly, as we must know some characteristics or risks to which we may be exposed when we venture to explore these websites. The access decision is personal to each one, and everything will depend on the use we want to give it, so it is advisable to always stay within what we consider ethical.

There are numerous risks that we must be aware of:

All over the world there are people who seek to catch an unsuspecting user when they access or download some content to steal information or worse. They are called hackers, or computer criminals.
There is the possibility that we enter a site that, although it will not steal information from us or infect our equipment, it may be committing a crime of which we are not aware. As well as being in direct contact with criminals.
The chances are high that we will acquire a product which may be illegal, or which is directly a fraud. Depending on what is acquired, it may be sufficient cause to open criminal proceedings.
It is in constant analysis in search of criminals or illegal actions. This can be carried out by large governments or institutions. Through these sites, you can also browse the Police of any country. This is to check whether or not the law is being followed. This causes many arrests after verifying that illegal actions were carried out.
The content of the Deep Web can be very delicate and be emotionally damaging, which would affect the family and personal environment.
What’s on the Deep Web
On the Deep Web we can find almost any type of content or offer, where not everything we find is bad or illegal, but we must be aware of possible dangers and fraud. Among all this, we can highlight:

Content distribution pages: Here you can distribute movies, music, books, and a lot of artistic content in general. Although many are legal for the simple fact of not having copyrights, others do have them and their download is illegal. Making piracy one of the big problems of the Deep Web.
Censored content: Many of the contents that are censored in some countries, or content that, to put it in some way, would not see the light of day under normal circumstances, can be found here. This can be especially sensitive.
Hidden Wiki: This is a kind of traditional Wikipedia, but where we can find all kinds of content, many of them, it would be unthinkable that they could appear on the Wiki that we all know and use on a daily basis. It is intended to make browsing the Deep Web easier.
Black market: Here we are already faced with something illegal, and normally, in order to access it, it is necessary to know the server directly. It can be stolen material, falsified documentation, weapons or drugs, among others.
Exploitation: Again we are facing an illegal activity, where adult content is normally distributed without any type of limit.
Hackers: Within the wide variety of services that we can find, there are hackers. These offer their services on the deep web, which help the user who hires them to achieve certain things or carry out some type of attack.
Hosting: Just like on the internet accessible from normal search engines, where we can create websites, here you can find host services where you can carry out illegal activities.
Scams: It is very common to be thinking about acquiring a service or product, and that this really is a scam to steal your money.
Deep Web Legality
We can ask ourselves if it is illegal to access the Deep Web, and no, it is not. But we must be very careful with the accesses we make and the information we see. It is also advisable to be clear that we can find everything. Given this, and for the moment, it is not illegal to view certain content on this type of site, at least in Spain, but it can be very harmful. Especially if we are inexperienced in these areas.

We have to think that with these search engines that we mentioned, we will also have access to a large amount of software. The law in this regard is not much different than if we use paid software illegally, bypassing the DeepWeb. Although in Spain this can lead to some type of penalty or sanction, they are usually more serious for what is developed with said software than for possession of the software itself. But if we can find some countries where it is strongly penalized.

As we have mentioned, it is not illegal to browse the DeepWeb, but it is illegal to access certain sites that carry out criminal actions. This is typified in article 189.5 of the Penal Code, and can be punished with imprisonment from three months to one year or with a fine. This can equally apply to the purchase of items, which is not illegal but this will depend on the circumstances of the item. If these are stolen or are illegal items in our country, you will also be punished with one to three years. The purchase of stolen products is known as reception, and is regulated in article 298 of the Penal Code.

As a conclusion and reiterating, we can say that the DeepWeb is not in itself illegal, but it is much easier to carry out criminal activities. In any case, you must appeal to the common sense of users, so that it does not have to be dangerous to navigate through these networks, as long as certain precautions are followed.