Welcome to the deep web. You can now unfasten your seatbelts. In this part of the World Wide Web, you find the content that is not indexed by standard search engines (for whatever reason).
If you watched Mr. Robot, you're already (kind of) familiar with the concept. The truth is, when you surf the web, you are really just floating at the surface. Below, there are trillions of pages that most have never seen. They include everything from boring statistics to stuff you don’t want accessible to just everyone. The vast majority of the deep web holds pages with important info, like databases. You will also find National Administrations, NASA and other government websites. And paid academic articles and journals or even patent and trademark directories. Some of the pages lie hidden because they're only found on an Intranet. These internal networks - say, at corporations or universities - have access to message boards and personnel files. There are industrial control panels too, that can flip a light switch or shut down a power plant. Remember action movies? True story.
The Deep Web term sometimes is also used to refer to the Dark Net. These are encrypted networks which are home to privacy advocates, who want the lack of tracking to shield their anonymity from advertisers and officials. Some people don't want to be a product to big dot com or government corporations. Fair enough. Edward Snowden used the deep web to first release the information that made him famous. That's still how he communicates with those willing to help him. Julian Assange also uses the dark net to talk to sources or other WikiLeaks members. Many journalists all around the world are relying on it as a more secure alternative to the public web when they have to investigate sensitive or dangerous information.
How to Access from your device:
The best apps to use are both Orbot (which connects you to the Tor network), and Orweb (which is the actual browser). Both have to be functioning together in order for you to access Tor. An alternative to Orweb would be Orfox, which is almost the same thing.
I2p, while not as popular as Tor, is also available for Android. Some say it is a little more difficult to configure than Tor (because you have to do it all manually). You have to configure your proxy and VPN settings, so that your device will be able to properly connect to the network. There are quite a few instructional sites and videos that can help with that.
Beyond these two, there are many anonymity tools (like VPNs) and proxy apps available for mobile phones. Besides using Tor, you can use apps like CyberGhost VPN, Psiphon, and TunnelBear to add to your encryption while browsing the Deep Web.
Now babes, we must warn you. Since the Deep Web is a hidden place, scary and bad things can also be found over there.