abbychumz
Senior Lister
When most people go online, they do so via a laptop or device that has an IP address - a unique online identity. An individual's internet activity can be tracked and monitored using their IP address.
The 'Dark Web' uses complex systems that anonymise a user's true IP address, making it very difficult to work out which websites a device has visited. It is generally accessed using dedicated software, the best known is called Tor (The Onion Router).
Tor itself is not the 'Dark Web' but instead is a way in which to browse both the Open and Dark Web without anyone being able to identify the user or track their activity.
Why do people use the 'Dark Web'?
Anonymisation.
Accessing ‘Hidden Services’ (where not only the user, but also the website itself, have their anonymity protected by Tor).
Illegal activity.
What about risks? In many ways, the risks of the 'Dark Web' are the same as those that may be encountered in the 'Open Web'.