The dark web refers to encrypted online content that is not indexed by conventional search engines. Also known as the "darknet," the dark web is a component of the deep web that describes the wider breadth of content that does not appear through regular internet browsing activities.
Specific browsers like Tor are required to access dark web sites, which contain anonymous message boards, online marketplaces for drugs, exchanges for stolen financial and private data, and other illegal content.
Transactions in this hidden economy are often paid for with bitcoin, and physical goods are routinely shipped in ways that cloak both buyers and sellers from the watchful eyes of law enforcement.
