dark webn.
/ˌdɑːk ˈwɛb/, /ˈdɑːk wɛb/, U.S. /ˌdɑrk ˈwɛb/, /ˈdɑrk ˌwɛb/ Computing.
Websites and services on the darknet (darknet n.), used esp. for criminal activity, which are hidden from standard search engines and allow owners and users to remain secret; the part of the internet consisting of such websites and services.The dark web forms part of the deep web (deep web n. at deep adj. Compounds 2).
ΚΠ
1998 Weekend Austral. (Nexis) 5 Dec. i12 (headline) Inside the dark web.
2014 Daily Tel. 1 Oct. 11/1 The graphic designer contacted a poisons dealer in the US via the ‘dark web’ after she saw ricin being used on the award-winning drama.
2019 Computer Fraud & Security July 17 Perhaps one of the biggest recent trends observed on the dark web has been the explosion in credential-stuffing attacks.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2021).
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n.1998