What is the Invisible Web?

The average internet user may not know it, but there actually two layers of the web: visible and invisible. The invisible web, also known as the “deep web,” is the part of the Internet that isn’t automatically indexed by search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. While information in the invisible web can still be found, it is not always easily accessible and often exists behind passwords and other protected databases.

As early as 2001, web scientist Michael K. Bergman had concluded in a white paper for BrightPlanet that, “Public information on the deep Web is currently 400 to 550 times larger than the commonly defined World Wide Web.” In the eight years since, particularly with the explosion of social networking, there is no doubt that this number has increased substantially.

Since typical web surfers do not have the technical knowledge needed to find information in the invisible web, does that mean that you don’t have to worry about it? Definitely not. Although the information may not be accessible via search engine, if someone is bashing your name behind closed doors, they are still doing damage to your reputation. Furthermore, the goal of a search company like Google is to bring you the most relevant information on a subject. In order to achieve this goal, search engines are becoming more and more sophisticated every day. I would be surprised if, sometime in the very near future, much of the invisible web was not brought to the surface.

So what can you do about the invisible web? For one thing, you should always remember to tread carefully in password protected networks. Just because you use an anonymous username and you have your privacy settings set to the highest level, that does not mean you have a license to act irresponsibly. You must always think about what you’re saying before you post something to the web. Second, sign up for MyReputation from ReputationDefender. Our search agents are trained experts in crawling the visible and invisible web for mentions of you or your company. If someone is talking about you online, we’ll let you know.

To learn more about MyReptuation, or any of ReputationDefender’s other services, please call one of our customer support specialists today at 1-888-720-9980. Or, you can send us an e-mail inquiry.

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