Booting Up: Light shines on ‘dark Web’

The so-called dark Web — where all browsing is anonymous — is facing an unprecedented spotlight.

From increasing references in pop culture, like the spy drama "State of Affairs," to renewed interest by law enforcement, expect to hear a lot about this digital underworld where drugs are sold in the open market, terrorists chat and depraved people satisfy disgusting habits.

But if it's the Internet's seedy back alley, the dark net is also a haven for global democracy. Freedom of speech advocates point out the importance of the dark Web to dissidents in oppressed countries. The dark Web also plays a critical role for military personnel, allowing commanders and field agents alike to avoid detection. And as the debate rages about the merits of a shadow Internet, here are five facts about the dark Web that everyone should know:

• It's accessed through a special Web browser called Tor, where no one can be tracked. Tor can be downloaded for free onto any computer and provides a simple user interface — not so different from mainstream browsers like Chrome and Safari. One big difference, however, is that Web addresses end in an .onion, an ode to the many layers of this peculiar place. URLs also change frequently and are made up of hard-to-remember numbers and letters, not the catchy dotcom domains we're used to.

• Contrary to popular belief, the Netflix series "House of Cards" doesn't reference the dark net. No, its plot lines center around something called the deep Web. The deep Web consists of Web pages that hide in plain site (on the regular, or surface Web) and are built to conceal themselves from search engine crawlers. The dark Web and deep Web are two very different things.

• Facebook launched a version of its service on the dark Web late last year, which, according to the folks at Tor, is accessed by thousands of oppressed citizens in countries such as Iran and China that block the social network. Kudos to Facebook for that.

• Our government funds it. Among Tor's active sponsors is the U.S. Department of State and the National Science Foundation.

As much as 80 percent of traffic on the dark Web may be pedophiles, however, according to a recent academic study by a British researcher released a little over a month ago. The study raises new questions about the dark net and law enforcement's response to it — and guarantees a debate about the merits of the mysterious corner of the net for months and years to come.

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