Content
It is also checked by customs officials, which may crackdown on suspicious parcels. The dark web news site DeepDot is always full of stories of buyers who have been arrested or jailed for attempting illegal purchases. As long as you don’t participate in illegal activities, you can browse the deep web without legal concerns. The information is there for you to access and use, but if you use it for illegal activities, that’s another story. In a nutshell, the deep web is everything that isn’t indexed by search engines.
Dark web sites aren’t indexed by ordinary search engines on the surface web either because they require special tools to access. The dark web is content that exists on dark nets, which require specialized software , configurations and authorization to access. These can include the previously mentioned illegal offerings, but can also include ultra-private information designed to be shared only with certain parties. Users who wish to gain access to such information are protected by the same anonymity the publishers of the content enjoy. Well-known news websites, such as ProPublica, have launched deep websites. Meanwhile, Facebook also offers dark web access to their social network.
Social Media
It is often offered in some portals to give threat actors the tools for cyberattacks. However, it also lingers all across the dark web to infect unsuspecting users just like it does on the rest of the web. Think of Tor as a web browser like Google Chrome or Firefox. The dark web was once the province of hackers, law enforcement officers, and cybercriminals.
Created by Ian Clarke in 1999, the project soon evolved to become Freenet — a platform of free speech online. Users could discuss, share, and publish information anonymously and completely free of government censorship. Also, you may want to check if someone spread your stolen financial information, credit card number or ID card or if traffickers or kidnappers are tracking you. Of course, it is better to hire a skilled professional who can find all this information for you, but if for any reason you cannot do that, you may want to try it yourself. If you see a warning when you visit the site that it is unavailable via HTTPS, leave it, because you can be tracked through it.
#1 – The Tor Browser
To use a real-world example, you probably don’t care who in a large group knows your name or the color of your hair. Dan joined MakeUseOf in 2014 and has been Partnerships Director since July 2020. Reach out to him for inquires about sponsored content, affiliate agreements, promotions, and any other forms of partnership. You can also find him roaming the show floor at CES in Las Vegas every year; say hi if you’re going. Prior to his writing career, he was a Financial Consultant. If you want to purchase something from one of the many dark web marketplaces, under no circumstances should you use anything other than cryptocurrency.
Some hackers offer ransomware as a service , where cybercriminals can “rent” a strain of ransomware from its creator in exchange for a fee or a percentage of their ransom payments. Others sell software exploits that other cybercriminals can use to infect victims with malware and steal personal data. It’s possible to buy and sell illegal drugs, malware, and prohibited content in darknet marketplaces.
Private Internet Access — MACE Feature to Protect You From Ads and Malware on the Dark Web
And there are also tools for those interested in an uncensored dark web search experience. The DuckDuckGo dark web search engine is like Google for the dark web. Widely considered one of the best private search engines, it’s the default search engine on Tor browser. DuckDuckGo has a simple interface, with a search box in the middle of the page, and its list of search results is also formatted like Google’s.
- Many hacker groups use the Dark Web to sell hacking services, stolen intellectual property, and stolen passwords.
- Tor was developed—and continues to be partially funded by—the US government.
- If you go premium, you’ll lose the ads and gain additional data insights and access to historical versions of websites.
- This is really impressive since my location is more than 7600 miles away from the US.
- Reach out to him for inquires about sponsored content, affiliate agreements, promotions, and any other forms of partnership.
Sign up for our newsletter and learn how to protect your computer from threats. Expect the Dark Web to remain a tiny but active part of the Deep Web, supporting criminal activity but also civil liberties in countries where governments crack down on freedoms. Remember, the Dark Web can also be a space for people to share information and ideas without fear of censorship or retaliation. In countries with authoritarian governments, the Dark Web is an important space for freedom of expression in some parts of the world.
Malicious software
Based on Firefox, Tor Browser lets you surf both the clear web and dark web. All your traffic is automatically routed through the Tor Network. Make sure to download the Tor Browser only from the official website, as not to risk downloading malware, spyware, or some other virus to your device.
Onion Links
You might want to hide your Tor Browser download using a VPN and your existing browser’s private/incognito mode. The dark web and Tor are often used by journalists and whistleblowers to exchange sensitive information, including Edward Snowden himself. The Ashley Madison data dump, for instance, was posted to a site only accessible to Tor users. This is just like any other browser such as Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, except it can also access special website addresses which ends in .onion instead of .com and such.
