The dark web is a mysterious and often misunderstood part of the internet. While it's frequently associated with illegal activities and extreme content, there are many surprising facts and lesser-known aspects that might change your perception. Here are some mind-blowing facts about the dark web, as shared by Redditors:

Nature and Perception

• Not Always Scary: The deep web, which includes the dark web, is largely not a scary place unless you actively seek out disturbing content. "The deep web is largely not a scary place unless you really go digging for things. Child porn, human trafficking, etc. will not likely be openly available to you without some effort, because it would be more likely to be shut down. All that I've really seen is lots of drugs, stolen goods, counterfeits, guns, etc."

• Meme-Like Content: Many parts of the dark web are filled with random, non-threatening content. "The dank Web is just a meme. Yeah it has some sketchy stuff on there, but it's almost all just random bs like fake red rooms (real ones don't exist), narcotics storefronts, and random blogs people made."

• Red Rooms are a Myth: The infamous "red rooms," where live torture is supposedly streamed, do not actually exist. "Red Rooms…a theory that they existed…but some dark web explorers stated there never existed..🤷‍♂️"

Navigation and Accessibility

• Unique Navigation: Surfing the dark web is not like using the regular internet; you need to find and keep links yourself. "it’s not the same as surfing the normal web. you have to find links from people then keep them safe"

• No True Search Engine: Due to its structure, the dark web cannot have a traditional search engine. "Tor can't have a true search engine due to how addressing works. Someone needs to provide the links of sites for them to be indexed."

• Alternative Search Tools: There are some search engines like Ahmia or Torch that can help you find sites on the dark web. "Use some search engines like Ahmia or torch or whatever, and on those search engines you can also find some link lists that gather links that aren't always indexed in the search engines themselves"

Surprising Uses

• Legitimate Communication: The dark web has been used for legitimate purposes, such as journalism and activism.