The dark web exists as a safe place for whistleblowers to contact journalists and for people in dictatorial regimes to access censored information anonymously. Following the principle of “safe rather than sorry,” assume every site you encounter on the dark web is a phishing site designed to steal your personal data and/or money. If you’re using Windows, macOS, Android, or iOS to access the dark web, there are a lot of extra safety precautions you need to enact before even connecting to your VPN. Best of all, many of NordVPN’s servers include obfuscation to help hide that you’re using a VPN at all, adding yet another layer of anonymity and privacy to your connection. Some aggregator sites are only accessible through Tor, but they tend to list sites with illegal content as well.
- Dark web search engines exist, but even the best are challenged to keep up with the constantly shifting landscape.
- No longer restricted to dial-up, many of us now consider access to a stable internet connection as a critical aspect of our daily lives — and a right.
- Since sometimes websites are hosted on personal computers, it’s totally possible that you won’t be able to access a site since the computer is just shut down.
- Although it’s frowned upon, many people outside the United States use such tools to access American content on Netflix and other streaming sites.
- The dark web is made up of purposefully hidden websites and services.
You can use the browser to access the same sites you access on the Surface Web, but you will likely run into two problems. In general, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are the preferred methods of payment as they provide the same level of anonymity as the Dark Web. Dark Web drug sales average about $315 million per year, and this is after major drug marketplaces such as The Silk Road have been shut down for some time.
What is Tor Project?
On average, I only experienced a 30% slowdown— .onion sites loaded in 2–3 seconds, HD videos loaded in 5 seconds, and there was only minor buffering at the start of the videos. The same cannot be said for the dark web, as it uses additional encryption and its own protocols. The underlying IP address and server location are hidden, and you also need a specific web browsing software called Tor to open it. There are areas of the internet that are considered the deep web for some but not for others.
So when the last layer is decrypted, the message arrives at its destination. Both Deep and Dark Web are hidden and not shown to conventional search engines. To access Deep Web, you require a password, and encryption, whereas to access the dark web, you require Tor Project or a similar browser. Due to its distinct registry operator, it is inaccessible by conventional browsers.
How to Access the Deep Web Safely
We may earn a commission from qualified purchases, but this doesn’t reflect on our reviews’ quality or product listings. Our reviews are in no way influenced by the companies mentioned. All the opinions you’ll read here are solely ours, based on our tests and personal experience with a product/service. Please note that these browser-based proxies cannot provide the same level of anonymity and can make the process even slower. They aren’t as safe as Tor because they can log who has used them.
Instead, you install the overlay network package, which then runs in your regular browser. The Onion Browser is far from ideal, but that’s entirely thanks to Apple’s policy of policing what iOS users can and cannot do on their own devices. The Onion Browser is not the best or safest way to use the Tor overlay network for browsing the dark web. If you prefer, you can move the toolbar (with the search bar and three-dot-menu) to the top like other browser apps by changing the setting in the Customize tab.
Best Dark Web Websites
Dark web sites, on the other hand, almost always use the .onion TLD. If there’s a free version of the paper somewhere else online, Unpaywall will help you find it. Luckily, there’s a free workaround… the Unpaywall browser extension. In the same way, dedicated cyber criminals on the dark web can also use correlation attacks to identify you. They’ll use slightly different methods, but they can use that information to launch a cyberattack once they identify your real IP address.
For safety purposes, I recommend that you only install Tor from its official website. Make sure to read this Tor beginner’s guide before accessing the dark web. Keep in mind that Tor is a product of the US government, so government surveillance is always a possibility. The best way to prevent your browsing activity from alerting authorities is to avoid sites with illegal activity altogether — another reason to only visit sites you’ve researched and trust. Most URLs on the dark web have unrecognizable names, so it’s easy to fall for this trap — putting your private files, financial data, keystrokes, and other personal information at risk.
Have I Been Pwned’s Top Features
Their reports track where and what type of your personal and credit information appears online. They’ll notify you if they detect suspicious activity or any changes to your profile. IDStrong’s Data Breach and Exposure Reports give you a comprehensive picture of your online security. If your financial or personal online identity has been compromised, you’ll know immediately. The core of Dashlane’s business is its password management app.
If you’ve never used APK downloads before, I recommend sticking to the Google Play Store method for now. Google Play Store downloads will automatically install as part of the download process. Sign up by creating your user account and purchase the subscription you chose. Visit the VPN provider’s website through your browser app and choose one of their subscriptions.
