[tor-talk] Terminology: Deep v Dark Web

[Katya Titov]

On Wed, 29 Jan 2014 18:00:55 +0000
mick <mbm at rlogin.net> wrote:

> Katya's wiki page nicely encapsulates some the definitions, but I
> think the definition of "deep web" might benefit from some tweaking to
> take account of such commentary as Sergey Brin's lament back in april
> 2012 (1)
> 
> According to the article referenced. Brin complained that Apple and
> Facebook's networks were effectively "dark" to Google since he
> couldn't search those walled gardens. I don't think many people would
> consider such sites as part of the "deep web", let alone "dark web",
> but if Brin is to be taken seriously, then it might be worthwhile
> pointing this out. Facebook alone is vast. Including that as an
> example of "deep web" might add some context to the discussion.

Good points.

I've modified the end of the deep web definition from:

"and private organizational information which resides behind
authentication."

to be:

"and information which resides behind authentication such as on private
organizational networks and public networks such as Facebook."

I toyed with the idea of mentioning "walled gardens" as in the article
but I don't think that it would be a correct term here. Apple certainly
operates a walled garden, but this doesn't restrict which parts of the
web that people can get to, it's more about controlling the
applications. (Through which, or course, they can control access to
"dark" nets such as Tor and I2P, so they do indirectly control
access ... but then there are proxies to get around this ... we're
descending into a deep rabbit hole here!)

> After all, the claim that the "deep web" is some 500 times the size
> of the open public internet dates from 2001. Somehow that statistic
> doesn't feel right to me.

I also think it doesn't feel right, but can't find anything more recent
or concrete. Let me know if you find a better reference and I'll update
the article.

Thanks for the input.
-- 
kat