Capterra Glossary
The deep web, otherwise known as the invisible or hidden web, is the part of the World Wide Web in which contents are not indexed by search engines. Therefore, web users cannot use popular search engines to access deep web content. Deep web content is typically hidden behind login forms, as it often includes unindexed web content, private databases, the dark web, and paywalled websites. It is estimated that search engines only index less than 1% of all of the internetʻs content.
Although the deep web does feature unindexed web pages that are completely legal, there is a large portion of web content on the deep web that features illegal activity. This section of the deep web is referred to as the dark web, where illegal activity transpires on unindexed web pages. The dark web is a safe haven for malicious software such as spyware and malware that are commonly used to infect the computer networks of small to midsize businesses. Growing companies should check with their IT service providers to ensure that the illegal activities that transpire on unindexed web pages, such as cyberattacks, do not affect the day-to-day operations of their organization.