How Do You Get on the Dark Web?

The dark web is a part of the internet that is intentionally hidden and is inaccessible through standard web browsers. It is often associated with illegal activities, but it also has legitimate uses, such as providing a platform for free speech and whistleblowing. If you’re interested in accessing the dark web, here’s how you can do it.

Use a Dark Web Browser

The Data Speaks For Itself

The first step to accessing the dark web is to use a dark web browser. The most popular dark web browser is the Tor browser, which you can download for free from the Tor Project’s website. The Tor browser works by routing your internet connection through a series of volunteer-run servers, which makes it difficult for anyone to track your online activity.

Configure the Tor Browser

Get Onion Browser (TOR Browser)

Not Evil has more than 32 million websites and addresses indexed from Tor servers, as well as more than 14 million onion links. The Not Evil search engine is a not-for-profit operation, and it relies on a community of volunteers who report false results and log “abusive” sites. A dark web search engine is an online tool designed to find websites on the unindexed part of the internet known as the dark web.

Once you’ve downloaded and installed the Tor browser, you’ll need to configure it. Here’s how:

Will Visiting The Dark Web Attract Attention?

• Open the Tor browser.

Disabling JavaScript will greatly limit the possibilities of other parties tracking you. If you use the Tor network to anonymously connect to Clear Web sites, you may encounter limited functionalities, since more and more web applications won’t run without JavaScript. Some hidden websites won’t allow you to connect if you have JavaScript enabled, some others will warn you that it is enabled. Your internet service provider can see the type of your network traffic. They can’t see the content of the traffic, but they do see that you are using the Tor network.

• Click on the onion icon in the top left corner of the browser window.
• Select “Configure.”
• Under “Security,” select “Safer” or “Safest” to increase your privacy and security.
• Click “OK” to save your changes.

• At no point along the route can any node or eavesdropper know both the start point (the user) and the end point (the forum), and until it reaches the end, the message is not readable.
• The dark web provides a space for people to access and share all sorts of illegal and explicit material without judgment or censorship.
• The dark web is a part of the internet that’s difficult to access without special software—and can be difficult to navigate once you gain access.
• The many layers of an onion represent the multiple layers of encryption in the Tor network.

Access Onion Sites

The dark web was originally a domain exclusively used by cybercriminals and governments. Today, this is no longer true–advanced encryption technologies have made the anonymization of web surfing a hassle-free affair for regular users. The Dark Web is used by cybercriminals to buy and sell illegal goods and services, coordinate attacks, distribute malware and phishing kits, and share other prebuilt exploits.

The dark web is made up of onion sites, which are websites that end in “.onion” instead of “.com” or “.org.” To access onion sites, you’ll need to use the Tor browser. Here’s how:

• Open the Tor browser.
• Type the onion site’s address into the address bar and press enter.
• The onion site will load in the Tor browser.

All the websites you visit that don’t require login credentials are part of the surface web. The Tor network makes it easier to hide your identity and allows people to anonymously create and host onion services. As a result, criminals often use the dark web to buy and sell illicit goods and services. Unlike the surface web, there aren’t great search engines for the dark web. You may need to find an onion site’s address on your own, and the names aren’t easy to remember. For example, the CIA’s onion address is ciadotgov4sjwlzihbbgxnqg3xiyrg7so2r2o3lt5wz5ypk4sxyjstad.onion, and the nonprofit newsroom ProPublica’s is propub3r6espa33w.onion.

FAQs

The dark web, the most clandestine layer of the internet, constitutes a small portion of the deep web. Unlike the surface web and the majority of the deep web, the dark web is intentionally concealed and requires specialized software to access. Accessing the dark web involves using anonymity tools such as the Tor network. The dark web primarily hosts websites with “.onion” domain extensions and is renowned for harboring illicit activities, including illegal marketplaces, cybercrime forums, and other hidden services. Anonymity is a core characteristic of the dark web, making it appealing to those seeking privacy or engaging in illegal activities.

Is it illegal to access the dark web?

No, it is not illegal to access the dark web. However, many onion sites host illegal content, so it’s important to be cautious and avoid visiting those sites.

Can I get in trouble for accessing the dark web?

It depends. If you access illegal content on the dark web, you could face criminal charges. It’s important to only visit onion sites that you know are legal and safe.

Do I need to use a VPN with the Tor browser?

No, you don’t need to use a VPN with the Tor browser. The Tor browser already routes your internet connection through a series of volunteer-run servers, which provides a level of anonymity and privacy. However, using a VPN can provide an additional layer of security and privacy.

Can I use the Tor browser on my phone?

Yes, you can use the Tor browser on your phone. The Tor Project has developed a Tor browser for Android, which you can download from the Google Play Store. There is also an unofficial Tor browser for iOS, but it is not as reliable as the Android version.