Top 10 Myths About the Dark Web You Should Stop Believing

Do you believe everything you see online? Well if you do then you must know that everything on internet is not a fact but a mere misconception or a myth, for this list we will be looking at various popular misconceptions and urban legends about the dark web in this blog.

The dark web has long been a source of fascination, intrigue, and fear. Popularized by movies, media, and rumors, it’s often portrayed as a lawless digital underworld. But how much of what we believe about the dark web is actually true? Lurking Stories counts down the Top 10 myths about the dark web you still believe.

Want to know about Dark Web in detail? Click here to read The Dark Web: What Lies Beneath the Surface?

Top 10 Myths You Believe About the Dark Web

#10: The Dark Web is Illegal

The ''Dark Web'', often associated with a sinister reputation, is not inherently sinister. In movies and film, the dark web is often discussed in hushed voices and shadow alleyways, as if you can get arrested by merely mentioning the term. But the simple fact is that dark web itself is not Illegal neither is the act of accessing it. In fact, the dark web is simply a subset of internet, which is not commonly available on traditional browsers and search engines allowing people to remain anonymous.

Accessing and viewing content on the dark web is completely legal in United States, the EU, and most of the countries around the world. But as soon as any illegal content remains on your system or you start indulging in illegal goods or something, you're definitely on the hook.

#9: Only Criminals Use The Dark Web

Not only is it not illegal to use dark web, but also the dark web has a lot of uses besides crime. Many people use the dark web to avoid any government surveillance One of the most crucial role of the dark web is played by journalists, advocates and whistleblowers for disseminating confidential information without disclosing the real identity.

Edward Snowman famously used the dark web to whistleblow on the NSA, some protestors use Tor to circumvent censorship. Other reputable companies like Facebook and the BBC have websites that help visitors from countries where media is censored to access their content and bypass censorship.

Ever thought of accessing the dark web but scared of doing it wrongly? No worries because here is a detailed guide on how you can safely access the dark web in 2025.

#8: It's the Hub of Cybercrime

Merely accessing the dark web is not illegal. However your activities within it could lead to legal consequences if they involve illicit transactions or prohibited content. The dark web does facilitate certain types of illegal activities, but it’s not the breeding ground for all cybercrimes as many believe. Its dangers lie more in the transactions that happen after data has been stolen, rather than in being a direct threat to the average user.

#7: Dark Web and Deep Web are Interchangeable Terms

 

People most often confuse ''dark web'' with ''deep web'', although similar, these two are considerably different. The deep web is any content on the internet that is not indexed by search engines making the content inaccessible to search engines. All the content that is behind paywalls or requires login credentials is considered to be the deep web.

On the other hand, dark web is considered to be a subset of deep web consists of content that is intentionally and hidden and only accessible through specific browsers like Tor browser.

To dive deeper, don’t miss our detailed blog on [India’s Most Notorious Serial Killers: Chilling Crimes Unveiled]

#6: It's Controlled by the Government

In 1990s researchers working for the U.S. navy developed something called The Onion Router or ''Tor'' for short, allowing people to anonymously exchange confidential information over internet. However, initially intended to use only by intelligence operatives only but later on in 2000s, it was made public in order to maximize its efficiency.

It was controlled by government officials but now the dark web is accessible by anyone and everyone having internet connection.

#5: It's Completely Anonymous

This is definite that Tor offers anonymity. Although it makes you harder to track while on the dark web, still it might be difficult to get tracked but not impossible. Law enforcement and advanced tracking techniques does its best to monitor Tor downloads from around the world creating baits in form of dark websites to trap criminals.

Therefore, using a strong VPN is definitely recommended to add useful additional layer of protection while using the dark web. Whether its about tracing contraband orders made on dark web or tracking bitcoin and undercover operations, law enforcement agencies have successfully de-anonymized users involved in illegal or illicit activities.

#4: It's Bigger than the Normal Web

 

Another common misconception regarding the dark web consumes a lot more of the internet than it actually does. This is because of the confusion between the deep web and the dark web. The dark web, by comparison, is laughably small than the deep web making up just 0.01% of the entire internet.

You’ll be amazed by what we uncovered in [Aarushi Talwar Double Murder Case: The Unsolved Mystery]

A 2016 study shows that while investigation, the King's College in London found that there were just 2,05,000 active web pages and 3,00,000 addresses on the Tor network. Other researches concluded that the Dark Web consists of less than even 30,000 websites, as of 2016 having only a fraction of these sites to remain for a significant amount of time.

#3: It's a Marketplace to Buy Contraband

The freedom of the dark web is double-edged sword for those who seek illegality. While marketplaces on the dark web do offer some counterfeit products and illegal items like drugs, it's not free-for-all. There's a high risk of being scammed as many advertised services and products are fake.

This is the part of the dark web is what makes people fearful about venturing into it as they're likely to encounter strange and often illegal content there which obviously they can't buy all. Moreover, law enforcements also monitors these these marketplaces closely leading to frequent shutdowns.

#2: You can't be Tracked

If you think that your identity is entirely anonymous while using the dark web then up to an extent you're right but don't even bother to think that no one is tracking you on the dark web. Web Tracking is still possible on the dark web. Even though the dark web uses encryption features to avoid tracking efforts, both law enforcements and cybercriminals exploit its flaws for tracking or targeting users.

So if you want to venture into this space, then always use multiple protection layers like VPNs and strong OpSec.

#1: Accessing the Dark Web Requires Computer Know-How

Accessing the dark web isn't as complicated as people imagine. Having advanced computer knowledge or being a tech wizard aren't the basic eligibility requirements one need to access the dark web. Unlike the traditional browsers like Chrome or Safari, the dark web just require a special software like Tor browser.

Accessing the dark web doesn’t involve any complex "closed shell systems," as claimed by some rumors. You can simply install the Tor Browser, open it, and you’re ready to explore the dark web. There are alternative tools too, like I2P (Invisible Internet Project) and Freenet, which serve similar purposes.

So this was all for Top 10 myths about the dark web that you should stop believing from now. For more details on the dark web and mysteries of the past, follow Lurking Stories.