It's a place where you'll find data leaks and illegal trades, but also legitimate, legal online activities users want to carry out without attracting the attention of law enforcement agencies or governments. It's a part of the internet that's less regulated and more shadowy, for better and for worse.
Piqued your interest? I'm going to explain how to get on the dark web and what you can find there—though Lifehacker doesn't endorse doing anything that breaks the law, so I'm not going to tell you how to do something you shouldn't.
The deep web versus the dark web: What’s the difference?
Much of the web isn't freely accessible. Credit: LifehackerThink about all the parts of the web you can't see without logging in, from academic journals to your Netflix account page: That's the deep web. It accounts for around 90 percent of websites, by some estimates, so we're talking about a substantial chunk of everything that's online.
The dark web comes with its own set of tools and services, including web browsers and search engines (which I'll get on to in a moment). Part of what makes the dark web the dark web is that you can't access it through your normal web browser, nor can you look something up on it via a Google search.
However, there are plenty of legal and legitimate online activities that require privacy and anonymity. The dark web is used by journalists, whistleblowers, and political activists who need the protections that it offers. Anything you need to do that has to be off the books to some extent, for noble or ignoble reasons, can be done on the dark web.
To browse the dark web, you need a dark web browser
Tor is your way into the dark web. Credit: LifehackerTor is like the public-facing door to the dark web, and there are also mobile apps for Android and iOS. While there are other browsers you can use to get on the dark web, Tor is usually recommended as the best for most people in terms of the features it offers and the ease with which anyone can make use of it.
Key to the way Tor works is what's known as onion routing technology. It gets its name from the way it puts several layers of obfuscation between you and the web, like the layers of an onion: Your traffic is bounced between multiple nodes, which means it's not as quick as regular browsing, but also that it's very difficult for anyone else to tell who you are or where you are.
Configuring dark web access through Tor. Credit: LifehackerOnce you are online, everything works in a similar way to a regular browser. You can access all of the normal web through Tor, and take advantage of the extra privacy its rerouting provides, as well as diving into the dark web. There are a few neat extra touches though, like the New identity button (the broomstick icon, top right) that clears everything from your current session and restarts Tor.
The mobile apps are straightforward to use as well. Tor for Android is the official app for Google's mobile platform, and while there's no exact equivalent on iOS, the open-source Onion Browser is a recommended alternative: The buttons for "onionizing" sites are on the top left (Android) and top right (iOS) corners. In both cases you can choose to install the Orbot VPN service, also part of the Tor project, to further secure your connection to the web.
The Onion Browser on iOS, with rerouting details. Credit: LifehackerBear in mind, too, that your internet provider will be able to see you connecting to Tor nodes, even if it doesn't know exactly what you're doing. Many people install a VPN as well, but then you're putting your trust in an additional third party to not track your activities or report them to anyone else.
Open up Tor, and you won't suddenly see the dark web staring back at you. Not only do you need a dark web browser, you need a dark web search engine too. This search engine will get you to the sites you need, though you can also go directly to dark web addresses if you know what they are, as with standard URLs.
Other dark web search engines worth investigating are Ahmia, Torch, NotEvil, and the Onion URL Directory—just type out some keywords for what you're looking for. Some of these sites can be found through regular web browsers, but you'll then need to switch over to Tor once you've got the onion links you want to follow.
Dark web websites
The BBC has a dark web site. Credit: LifehackerSome of the websites to look out for on the dark web include mirrors of both the BBC and the Mediapart journalism platforms, built to help inform people who are living in countries where the internet is heavily censored. If you're after secure email, look for the Proton Mail service. If you visit a regular website that also has a dark web (.onion) equivalent, you should see see a message to this effect in the top right corner of Tor: Click on the Visit the .onion button to view it.
I've already touched on some of the stuff that you'll find for sale on the dark web: It's a long way from eBay, let me put it like that. Anything you can think of that you shouldn't be downloading or buying, you can usually find it somewhere on the dark web.
That's not to say you should assume any transactions you make on the dark web won't ever be linked back to you—law enforcement has gotten pretty good at tracking down people who think they've been acting in the shadows. Even if you're using a private, anonymized crypto wallet, there are other ways your identity can be revealed—even if it's something as simple as letting a personal detail slip in an instant message.
Taken as a whole, there aren't many good reasons to move your legitimate shopping activities to the dark web. Because of the way it works, and the kinds of items and goods that are typically on sale, it attracts a lot of scammers and hackers, and there are very few protections for you if you find yourself duped.
Is the dark web illegal?
Many dark web sites come and go. Credit: LifehackerYou might often see news stories about criminal activity involving the dark web, and because of what's happening in some corners of the dark web, it tends to put off law-abiding companies and users alike. Sections of the dark web are often closed down, too, as part of police operations.
Staying on top of the hacker underground
Hackers spend a lot of time on the dark web, and it's not too difficult to get access to hacking tools and data leaks in this part of the internet. However, it's much harder to get at the people who are doing the uploading and downloading.
As I've previously said, it's a good idea to keep your interactions with the dark web to a minimum, unless you can absolutely trust the people you're dealing with. You'll often see a sign in stores that says "look, don't touch," and it's not a bad adage to bear in mind as you navigate around the dark web.
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