In the modern era of technology, people have woven the internet into many aspects of their lives—connecting people, providing endless information, and offering a convenient marketplace.
In common terms, the web is referred to as the "surface web."
It's huge and glamorous. This is the part of the web where all the commotion happens. It's where people want to be seen: full of fans and haters, trolls and creeps, supporters and well-wishers, endorsements and campaigns, celebrities trying to connect, politicians attempting to gain votes, and businesses trying to surpass rivals by any means possible.
But there is another side of this noisy web.
Below the surface web, in its underbelly, lies what is known as the "dark web."
It’s a place where light does not reach.
Unlike the "deep web," which is the web that is substantially larger than the surface web, and has its content hidden behind paywalls or passwords, the dark web is pretty much empty.
With only a few million daily users, it's a stark contrast to the surface web, which enjoys the limelight of billions of users worldwide since it includes all publicly accessible websites indexed by search engines, and endlessly shared by social media posts.
In all, the dark web is significantly smaller, constituting less than 2% of total internet traffic.
This is why the dark web to most people is only something they hear about in the films or online.
For a reason that makes sense: the dark web is hidden, making it difficult for most people to know what truly exists there or to separate fact from fiction.
Accessing the dark web is not as straightforward as using the surface web, requiring specialized browsers like Tor.
It offers users a chance to create alternate identities, believing their real-world selves will remain hidden. This anonymity fosters communities while also enabling illicit activities. As a result, the dark web can embolden users to engage in behaviors they would never consider in real life.
While many avoid the dark web due to its dark reputation, there are legitimate reasons to explore it.
In other words, many people should avoid the dark web due to its association with illegal activities. But there are also reasons why people would, or should.
Hafiz Rahman, the founder of Eyerys, said that:
"Unlike on the surface web, anonymity on the dark web gives users more freedom to say what they normally cannot, do what they typically wouldn’t, and sell what they are legally prohibited from selling."
"The dark web is like the the surface web's evil twin."
The good things, for example, the dark web gives a voice to people who wouldn’t normally be heard, and this is often the case with whistleblowers or people living in oppressive countries. In this case, the dark web can offer more information, said directly from those whistleblowers because the whistleblowers know they can speak freely without having their real-life identities known.
It allows people in hostile regimes to communicate safely and privately. It allows normal people who don’t want to be tracked by governments or by commercial interests to take back their digital footprint and use the web with privacy.
The dark web is in itself a fascinating place to explore.
At the same time, however, the dark web also makes people do things they would never do in their real lives or would never admit to.
Utilizing anonymity to the fullest, many dark web users can also become someone they can never be in real life.
For example, someone ordinary, normal, and who appears unassuming in real life can be a drug kingpin.
Ordinary individuals can rise to positions of influence in illicit circles, leveraging the dark web’s secretive environment to commit serious crimes without fear of being tracked.
Just like users of the surface web, users of the dark web can be extroverts or socially inept introverts.
People operating on the dark web may seem ordinary in real life and may not appear outwardly menacing, though their online activities can be far more dangerous.
With the many illegal services that are just a few clicks away, power dynamics shift, making even the seemingly unthreatening a force to reckon with.
Not to mention how material involving Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) flourishes there.
Then, there is what's called "murder-for-hire," an activity that has long been associated with the dark web. Some websites even claim to have made millions by fulfilling such requests—a claim that’s difficult to verify.
In a world where everyone is faceless, distinguishing truth from deception becomes nearly impossible.
Payments for these alleged services are typically made using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, prized for their anonymity and decentralized nature.
Because of this, many of these so-called hitmen are likely scammers, mirroring the classic Nigerian fraud scheme—demanding more money at each stage before vanishing entirely.
Ultimately, the dark web doesn’t invent new crimes—it simply provides a different environment where age-old criminal activities adapt and thrive on a larger scale.
The methods may be modern, but the motives remain as old as crime itself.
They just operate in a different level and frequency.
"It's astonishing how people can change completely when they're anonymous. With anonymity, these people have freedom to act without fear of judgment or consequences," Hafiz said.