dark web

noun

variants or less commonly Dark Web

: the set of web pages on the World Wide Web that cannot be indexed by search engines, are not viewable in a standard Web browser, require specific means (such as specialized software or network configuration) in order to access, and use encryption to provide anonymity and privacy for users

The dark web is only accessible by means of special software, allowing users and website operators to remain anonymous. Once used by political dissidents, the dark web has become the Internet's black market, where visitors can buy anything from guns to drugs and fake IDs or trade child pornography.—

Guillermo Contreras

compare deep web

Examples of dark web in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Currently, Nutter Butter, the sandwich cookie from Nabisco, is making waves on TikTok with viral videos and animations that mimic a dark web aesthetic. —

Arthur Zaczkiewicz, WWD, 3 Sep. 2019 Your Sticky Password purchase also comes with a free year of dark web monitoring powered by ARC. —

Stackcommerce Team (sponsored), PCMAG, 18 Sep. 2024 Andy Ginther, mayor of Columbus, Ohio, pictured at a White House event in 2023, was not giving the public the full picture after a recent ransomware attack, according to a dark web researcher who investigated, and has since been sued by the city. —

Kevin Williams, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2024 Killer Hired To Target You The sender claims to own a dark web site that offers various services for a fee. —

Alex Vakulov, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024 Additionally, the software provides dark web monitoring to alert you if your information is compromised, giving you peace of mind. —

Stackcommerce Team (sponsored), PCMAG, 24 July 2024 In a 30-day review this spring of a dark web forum used to share CSAM, the IWF found a total of 3,512 CSAM images and videos created with artificial intelligence, most of them realistic. —

Kevin Collier, NBC News, 21 July 2024 The leader of a dark web drug-trafficking ring has pleaded guilty to several conspiracy charges for distributing drugs from a clandestine lab in Detroit, federal prosecutors said. —

Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, 22 Mar. 2024 Finally, NordVPN offers dark web monitoring as part of its Threat Protection collection. —

PCMAG, 27 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dark web.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.