
While the content of these sites may be accessed using this software, publishers of these sites are often concealed. It refers to internet sites that users generally cannot access without using special software.

Accessing this content often requires authentication (i.e., verification of the user’s identity) and permission to access the content. This includes content on private intranets (internal networks such as those at corporations, government agencies, or universities), and commercial databases like Westlaw.

The dark web may be used for legitimate purposes as well as to conceal criminal or otherwise malicious activities. Within the deep web is a segment known as the dark web-a layer where content is intentionally concealed.

Another layer, the deep web, contains unindexed content that cannot be accessed with a simple Google search. One layer, the surface web, contains indexed content easily accessible with a traditional search engine such as Google. Many observers of the World Wide Web (web) have described it as having layers.
