You'll probably have heard a lot about the dark web. With a reputation for harboring and facilitating criminal activities such as hacking, drug trafficking, and even terrorism, you're likely dubious about everything related to the dark web—including the deep web, Tor browser, and perhaps anonymous browsing.

So, what is the dark web and is it actually real? And is it illegal to access the dark web? Let's take a look.

What Is the Dark Web?

Firstly, you need to know what the dark web actually is. It sounds scary, and certainly not something you should be actively exploring. In fact, it sounds illegal.

But it's not as intimidating as it appears.

The dark web is a subset of the main internet, that exists on overlay networks called "darknets" and requires specific software to access. The most popular and well-known way to access the dark web is through the Tor browser—which is akin to any other browser like Google Chrome and Firefox but will let you view content other search engines don't index.

Tor is a great way of thinking about the dark web. It stands for The Onion Router, so consider the main web as the primary layer of an onion. Tor lets you peel back the top layers to see the often-hidden third layer (and we'll come back to the second layer later).

Is It Illegal to Go on the Dark Web?

That all sounds fine, right? You're just exploring a different part of the internet.

Nonetheless, that anonymity breeds criminal activity. The dark web has a certain reputation. Sure enough, the dark web is full of black markets. This is where people go to find data retrieved from ransomware attacks and identity thefts, buy drugs, to fund and promote terrorism, and sell their hacking services.

Another terrible reality of the dark web is the proliferation of child pornography.

So, it's only natural to think that you're banned from accessing the dark web. But that's not necessarily the case.

The dark web is not illegal. At least, not in most places.

You're not doing anything dubious by just downloading software to access a portion of the internet. The web was, after all, created to be a free entity—although that's not stayed quite true across the world.

However, some of the things you do on the dark web are illegal. Visiting certain sites or engaging in certain activities is illegal.

And this does entirely depend on territories. Typically, in countries where online activity is policed, accessing the dark web is illegal. That includes in Russia, China, and Iran.

Why? The Tor browser (and other means of exploring the dark web) uses encryption, so anywhere that bans the use of VPNs, for instance, also bans citizens from other means of anonymizing their activities.

Is the dark web itself illegal? Not generally. Certainly not in the US, UK, and India, for example. But if you're used to government surveillance and restrictions, then it's likely that the dark web is illegal in your territory.

Is Tor Browser Illegal?

Similarly, the Tor browser isn't illegal.

Yes, it can be used to access the dark web (again, a subsection which isn't illegal in itself anyway), but plenty of people use Tor for regular browsing too. You might even be reading this through Tor.

Heck, you can find Facebook via the dark web! That's especially handy if you live somewhere Facebook is banned, or if you just want to escape the social media's watchful eye: cookies and logs aren't kept, so your data remains more private.

The problem is, many who use the dark web have malicious intent, so government agencies and secret services do monitor activities there.

Related: How to Access the Dark Web Safely and Anonymously

There's a big difference between going on the dark web (which is, on the whole, legal) and what you access through it (which could be illegal).

Is the Dark Web Safe?

Here's the thing: the dark web might be legal where you live, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's safe. Far from it, in fact. Then again, the dark web doesn't have to be unsafe either.

As with the normal internet, you'll find the good and the bad on the dark web. If you want to search for something illegal, the dark web will provide that. But it's also a solid way to find new things and get away from surveillance.

There are loads of great websites on the dark web that you won't find on Google. For instance, the news site, ProPublica, aims to "expose abuses of power and betrayals of the public trust by government, business, and other institutions, using the moral force of investigative journalism."

Still, there are many dangers on the dark web. It's not something you can just easily browse. For one, you need to know the exact URL of a site, although there are directories you can use like TorLinks and The Hidden Wiki.

Ifyou find yourself on the wrong site and you might be exposed to criminal activity. And yes, that could land you with jail time, especially if you purchase something illegal on any of the dark web's numerous marketplaces. You could also accidentally download malicious software, like ransomware, keyloggers, and botnets.

Related: How Does the Dark Web Affect Your Security?

So, is the dark web safe? Well, it isn't the safest of things to access. Yet it's not wholly dangerous either.

If you're not sure, don't visit the dark web. It's not really worth the risk for the average user.

Is It Illegal to Be on the Deep Web?

Remember that second layer of the onion? That's the deep web, and yes, there's a difference between that and the dark web. Many get them mixed up, though. The dark web is part of the deep web, but the latter is more widely used.

The deep web—also known as the invisible web or hidden web—is another section of the internet that's not indexed by search engines. Nonetheless, you've accessed the deep web.

You can't visit everything via Google. Yes, you can get to Gmail or Hotmail, but you can't actively use Google to search your emails. Nor can you access your online banking. Type "MUO's Inbox" into a search engine and you won't actually find yourself rooting around in MUO's email.

The deep web consists of anything that's hidden, not necessarily for duplicitous purposes. This includes content that's password protected, hidden behind a paywall, or that doesn't use standard HTTPS/HTTP (yes, that includes .onion sites found via Tor).

And so, as such, it's certainly not illegal to access the deep web.

Is the Dark Web Real?

The dark web is definitely real and lots of illegal activities take place there. But don't be scared of it. Like all things, there are good and bad sides to it.

Generally, if you're not sure about the dark web, you shouldn’t access it; the risks to your security are too numerous to count. Depending on your locality, it might be illegal to access the dark web, but in much of the world, it's legal to visit. That's not a free pass to do anything you like on there, however.