# Tell me about the 'Deep Web'. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 26, 2014, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-deep-web/682331 "2014-02-26T17:04:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2014, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-deep-web/682331/21 "2014-02-26T22:25:50Z")
I hear the lolcats and doges are super edgy. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2014, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-deep-web/682331/22 "2014-02-26T22:28:55Z")
> [@Lasciel](#): > > That was indeed the question - was there, in fact, anything OTHER than the sketchy/illegal stuff. > > If not, I’m perfectly happy out here on the light-side. TOR is basically for doing sketchy illegal stuff. The thing is what is illegal in one country could be considered freedom of expression or standing up for basic human rights in other countries. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-deep-web/682331/23 "2014-02-27T00:39:31Z")
The contents of a library catalog wouldn’t be found with a search engine. Library of Congress or Smithsonian digital content, same thing. There’s tons of stuff out there that a Google search ain’t gonna turn up, and there’s nothing sketchy or mysterious about most of it. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-deep-web/682331/24 "2014-02-27T17:55:58Z")
Google sites gives you the option although they don’t call it “deep web” publishing. When you publish a site, you have the option to make it available to (1) everyone who might be searching for it, or (2) only those who have the URL. Choosing option 2 means you have to send the URL out manually, of course. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-deep-web/682331/25 "2014-02-27T21:07:05Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > Google sites gives you the option although they don’t call it “deep web” publishing. When you publish a site, you have the option to make it available to (1) everyone who might be searching for it, or (2) only those who have the URL. Choosing option 2 means you have to send the URL out manually, of course. Wherever your site is hosted, only those who have the URL will be able to find it unless it is either submitted to search engines for indexing (and they have actually gotten around to doing the indexing), or linked to from other sites that the search engines already index. All that option (1) means here is that you have asked Google to index your site, but you do not have to be with Google sites in order to request this. If you choose option (2) they will simply not bother to index it. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-deep-web/682331/26 "2014-02-28T01:14:33Z")
Yes I’m aware of all that - just wanted to provide an example of a site builder where the OP could experiment if he wanted to. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-deep-web/682331.md?page=1)