For added safety, first connect to a VPN, then use Tor in a practice known as Tor-over-VPN. Many internet service providers and governments may be suspicious of Tor use, and a VPN will hide your internet activity and prevent anyone from knowing that you’re using Tor. The websites you visit every day represent just a small fraction of the whole internet.
My advice is to research before entering sites you find through search engines and protect your personal information with a highly secure VPN. ExpressVPN features some of the best privacy features to keep your online activity safe. It uses TrustedServer technology, under which all its servers are RAM-based and erase all your data upon each reboot. This ensures none of your data is stored, so it also can’t be shared. Plus, it runs Private DNS, meaning it routes all of your dark web traffic safely through its own encrypted DNS servers.
Browsing The Dark Web
This provides you a high degree of anonymity and makes it difficult for authorities to shut down. Most e-commerce service providers offer escrow service that holds the customer funds until the product is delivered. However, at the time of the dispute, you should not expect any smooth refund process. Every communication you have to do in the dark web is encrypted, so simple transactions also need a PGP key. The dark web has prospered with the help of various bitcoin wallets.
- There are also millions of servers which only store data which can’t be accessed via a public web page.
- There are a lot of mobile apps out there, and most are harmless.
- Those who are working remotely from coffee shops using unsecured Wi-Fi networks sometimes end up sharing everything they do online with threat actors.
- That said, it can be difficult for users to find the material they are looking for on the dark web.
You can access the Dark web safely, but just diving in blindly is a bad idea. This is like going spelunking without the proper equipment — you’re likely to get hurt, possibly very badly. We’re going to get you oriented for this journey as fast as possible, then give you the tools you need to get down to the Dark web and look around for yourself. This article is purely for educational purposes and I do not support any illegal activity. Although it is not forbidden to browse the dark web, your actions on it are your responsibility. To browse the dark web, you need to know the .onion links of the sites you want to visit.
Enter The Dark Web
If possible, use an old computer you don’t mind getting messed up and make sure it is running Mac or Linux, so it is less likely to get viruses. LexisNexis requires a subscription for most people, but if you’re a student, you may already have one. This tool is invaluable for finding information from magazines, news articles, and even individuals’ public records.
Simply accessing the dark web is not illegal, but illegal activity is illegal whether you do it via the dark web or not. It’s also a great tool in hostile countries where freedom of speech isn’t possible. Citizens in these countries will use it to speak freely, without fear of their government. There are also great resources on cryptocurrency and encryption on the dark web.
Even if you’re trying to get to the dark web version of Facebook , “facebook.onion” isn’t going to get you there. You should also consider this if you choose to visit the dark web. The Tor browser can conceal your true location by shunting your traffic through various relays. But it can’t stop you from entering personal information on websites to say where you are.
Dark Web Websites
While you might think that Tor would be banned all over the place, many different types of people rely on it, including governments and law enforcement agencies. A reference to how Tor works; sending encrypted traffic through layers of relays around the globe as it hides content, the sender, and their location. Users need a special browser with added software to access the tor dark web in the first place. Deep sites also include company intranets and governmental websites, for instance the website of the European Union. You may be able to search such pages but you do so using their own internal search function, not a search engine like Bing or Yahoo.
You’ve no doubt heard talk of the “dark web” as a hotbed of criminal activity — and it is. If you want to access an .onion site, it’s only possible through the use of a specialized browser known as Tor. The deep web is an umbrella term for parts of the internet not fully accessible using standard search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo.
Is the Dark Web Illegal?
And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. The deep web helps protect your personal information that you probably want to stay private. But if you access your bank account, it’s not entirely private. The presence of illegal activity calls into question the “character” of some dark web denizens. That’s why it’s important to take care to help protect your personal information and identity. Almost every time you search internally on a website, you’re accessing deep web content.
Yes, there is nothing inherently illegal about accessing the deep web. With how mythologized the deep web and dark web have become, you’d be excused for thinking it’s difficult or dangerous to access. In reality, there’s nothing inherently dangerous about accessing either, and doing so is surprisingly simple. Keep reading this guide to learn more about what these terms actually mean, and how you can find your way into the underbelly of the internet. Stay vigilant and follow these extra tips to stay safe on the dark web.
