Evidently so, although one is a subset of the other. I think saying "it requires special software or authentication" merely adds to the confusion, here.
For example, a site may require tor, or it may require a VPN connection to the same network the site lives on - is there a functional difference? And gating content behind authentication would be a good definition for "deep web" too.
However i can see the appeal of having "dark web" or "dark net" signify illicit things, but we also have "dark fiber", so something will have to give.
genewitch|4 years ago
For example, a site may require tor, or it may require a VPN connection to the same network the site lives on - is there a functional difference? And gating content behind authentication would be a good definition for "deep web" too.
However i can see the appeal of having "dark web" or "dark net" signify illicit things, but we also have "dark fiber", so something will have to give.