Internet Facts: What Have You Been Missing?

In the digital era of the internet, most of the population has interacted with the net one way or another. People use it to go about their daily lives while companies rely on the internet to prosper. Now, we all know that the internet is a place where you can find anything that comes to your mind. 

If we take things as they are at the moment, we can safely say that the internet is only going to become more ubiquitous than ever before. However, many people don’t know much about the internet outside of what they use daily. With that in mind, let’s talk about the things you don’t know about the web. 

The Internet and the Web Are Not the Same

Many people wrongly believe that the internet is synonymous with Google or any other web page they frequently use. Google is just a service that runs on the net, just like Facebook, YouTube, or any other website on the internet.

The internet is like a vast digital platform where streaming media, file-sharing services, and everything else run. The web is an essential part of the internet; it’s just one thing that runs on it. 

The Freeness and Openness of the Internet

As you may or may not know, you could not say who owns the internet. The net is entirely free to use, minus the fees we pay to Internet Service Providers. However, you can say that some entities have more control online than others. Experts note that big tech has the most power in the digital space. Thus, companies like Facebook or Google monopolize the digital world. While no one can be labeled as the owner of the internet, it is safe to say that some of its open features are less prominent if several companies are in charge. For instance, new content or program creators might have fewer opportunities to get recognition. 

Dark web and the deep web

The internet does not end with the search results you receive from Google. Little did you know, there is a whole realm of websites that you are not even remotely aware of. While some tend to treat dark web and web deep as the same, there are striking differences in their meaning. At first, let’s start with the deep web. The latter refers to websites that are not indexed by your traditional search engines. Thus, you need a correct link to access them. While this might sound groundbreaking, thousands of legitimate services retain their websites out of the grasp of web crawlers. 
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The dark web is typically the websites you access through special software known as Tor browser. While it has legitimate purposes, such as evading online tracking for bypassing censorship, many associate the use of Tor with illegal activities. It is true that many websites on the dark web partake in some sort of illegal activity. However, you can find examples of free journalism or other services specifically designed for Tor and people who might be unable to access them naturally. 

The Internet Is Not as Private as You Think

Realizing that browsing is not private might be a shocking revelation. There are many entities that know exactly what you are doing online. First of all, we have your ISP (Internet Service Provider) potentially logging and selling information about your digital habits. Then, we have sets of cookies that nearly all websites use. 

Note that not all cookies might be used for the purpose of tracking your movements. First-party cookies are involved with remembering you and presenting the preferences you might have set. However, third-party cookies are typically frowned upon. Besides cookies, there is fingerprinting, metadata, and the information you willingly give away (when registering, for example). 

What is the cure for all this tracking? Well, there is no one-fits-all solution. Typically, users need to combine different tools and practices to bypass it. Many turn to browsers that treat privacy and security as a priority. 

Brave and even Mozilla Firefox have added incredible features to help people feel more comfortable online. A VPN for browsing is also one of the solutions. It hides your true IP address and prevents entities from learning your approximate location. This tool also encrypts information about your digital activities, meaning that it becomes far more difficult to track them. For example, your ISP will not be able to log information on your browsing patterns after you use a reliable VPN. 

Conclusion

While the internet provides an abundant source of opportunities for both citizens and corporations, it also brings many challenges. However, with such great power comes great responsibility. The internet can help humanity become better and more evolved, but this help is not without its cost. It is up to us to see what it is.