Facebook recently unveiled a second URL for their site that can only be accessed through
TOR, which is a software that allows users to log-in anonymously from nearly anywhere
on
the planet - even in countries where Facebook is heavily monitored or blocked.
This makes
Facebook the first major web company to offer a platform on the dark web.
So, what is the dark
web and why did Facebook join it?
First off, it’s important to understand that the internet is vast and constantly growing,
and
the majority of our daily usage only scratches the surface.
Google, Yahoo, and other search
engines only show about 4% of the data available on the internet.
To access the other 96%
requires customized digging through individual sites, subpages, restricted access journals
or
archives, and so on.
This 96% is called the “deep web.”
It’s also important to understand that pretty much everything we do online is visible,
traceable, and possibly being monitored.
Everything except... for the areas of the deep web that
are masked by the “dark web.”
The “dark web” is concealed through a series of identity masking layers, which basically
means that you can access and interact with it anonymously without being tracked.
This is
achieved through special encryption software like TOR, an acronym for The Onion Router,
which when installed on your computer, appears and acts like your standard Firefox browser,
albeit slower.
But instead of routing your connection through a direct line, TOR routes
everything through a series of encrypted computers all over the world, bouncing around
randomly before it reaches its host destination.
This makes the origin of the data and the people
searching for it, unknowable.
So while you might actually be in New York, your search traffic
can appear to be coming from random points all over the world, making your location essentially
untraceable.
So why does Facebook, a company that is anything but anonymous or discreet, want this?
Well, they claim that it’s all part of a long term effort to achieve greater “accessibility
and
security” for its users - which according to some critics, is pretty much just code
for desired
global domination.
Facebook wants to be used by everyone, everywhere.
And pushing the site
into the dark web opens Facebook up to users who might otherwise be unable to access it,
or
might worry about government surveillance or other security controls or threats.
Places like Iran
or China, for example, are known to restrict access to social sites, like facebook.
TOR won’t
shield users’ Facebook profiles or activities -- those will still be public -- but it will
keep their
location and potentially their real identity, hidden from the authorities.
If you’d like to learn more about the inner workings of the web, check out this DNews
video
on How the Internet Works.
(Sound up.)
And if you have ideas for topics or questions you’d like
us to explore, let us know on Facebook or in the comments down below.
Thanks for watching.