For example, some of our favorite social media platforms, like Twitter and Facebook, have set up mirror sites on the dark web for people who don’t want to be watched by the government. Some users looking for how to access the dark web can do that simply because they want to check whether their personal data is for sale. Many hackers sell their services either individually or as a part of groups. Such groups include xDedic, hackforum, Trojanforge, Mazafaka, dark0de and the TheRealDeal darknet market. Some have been known to track and extort apparent pedophiles. Cyber crimes and hacking services for financial institutions and banks have also been offered over the dark web.
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA. Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions.
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Don’t click on suspicious links, be skeptical of what you read, and avoid dark web marketplaces if you don’t want to stumble on illegal activity or content. Traditional search engines return results because they contain indexes of links to websites. A lot of illegal activity occurs on the dark web, and onion websites are popular hangouts for cybercriminals and scammers. But if you use antivirus software, avoid clicking on shady links, and stick to known sites you should be fine. It’s also a good idea to set up a VPN for an extra layer of protection.
One of the great things about Tor is that it can be used to access both the dark web and the surface web. Just note that although you’ll be anonymous, you won’t have the speed or convenience of a direct connection, and some sites might block you outright. When you open your default browser, Freenet will be ready and running through its web-based interface. Note you should use a separate browser than the one you normally use to help ensure anonymity. Setting up I2P requires more configuration on the user’s part than Tor.
Take Action Against Identity Theft
Take a look at our overview of the most trustworthy, fast, and safe VPN services. You could try to look up some tech-related websites on the Hidden Wiki or DuckDuckGo . However, do keep in mind that there are many useful tech websites on the surface web already. Chances are, whatever questions you have have been discussed on there already, so you won’t have to search for pages on the dark web. They are cheap and so worth it even for normal web browsing.
- WebHostingSecretRevealed provides informative articles and free tools for bloggers and small business owners who need help in growing their presence online.
- Dark Web Search Engines exist – but they are not as efficient as search engines you found on the Surface Web.
- Keep reading to learn the history of the dark web and how it has shaped the Internet as we know it.
- That means many of the existing Dark Web Websites will no longer be accessible unless you know their new v3 .onion address.
- When someone is searching on the Internet, they are only accessing 0.03% — or one in 3,000 — of the pages available to them.
- Your email inbox, online banking and Google Drive folders are undiscoverable via a web browser.
Deep Web Radio is the perfect place to find good music while browsing the Dark Web, ensuring access to over 20 different channels depending on your favorite genre. The benefit of using Deep Web Radio is that you don’t have to use the clearnet while exploring the Dark Web. Facebook’s onion site works exactly like its clearnet page, allowing you to communicate with your friends and family without anonymity. This means that Facebook, your friends, family, ISP, and governmental organizations can see what you like, comment on, and post.
Monitor The Dark Web
The downside is that it doesn’t have the same amount of features you’ll find on Google. Similar to the open web, there are all manner of activities you can do on the dark web, ranging from forum participation to browsing online marketplaces. However, there are also illegal goods and services available on the dark web. The Dark Web search engine collects a list of known .onion sites and makes them available for search after filtering out child abuse content. Most of us use Social media websites to communicate with others. They’re an excellent venue to share information, ideas, knowledge, and experiences.
And unlike Silk Road, newer marketplaces are decentralized and better hidden. Because dark web activity bounces signals off nodes or relay sites located in multiple nations all over the globe, investigations are costly and time consuming. Silk Road was perhaps the most notorious dark web black marketplace. Users shopped for anything from drugs to guns, hitman services, and hacked computer programs and accounts.
While the Tor browser works like magic, the overall experience can be a slow and unreliable one. The Dark Lair was initially an image hosting platform and evolved into a social network over time. You can share images, post comments, and engage with other users as both a registered as well as anonymous user. SecureDrop is software platform that NGOs and media organizations can install to accept leaked information from whistleblowers safely.
Here are two examples of dark web content and activities that would raise legal concerns. On the flip side, there are publications on the dark web that believe it’s the only way to obtain and sustain a truly free press. Illegal drugs — and prescription drugs — are peddled on the dark web. You might also find toxic chemicals that can cause other types of damage. While the deep web is relatively safe, it’s always smart to practice safe internet habits. That level of information would be located in the deep web.
