When you connect to the internet through the Tor network, your connection is routed through at least three random nodes, with your data being re-encrypted each time it passes through a node. Whited’s rule of thumb is to use the Tor Browser instead of Private Browsing Mode or Incognito Mode. “Contrary to what most people think, these modes do not actually protect your privacy,” she says. If you’re new to the dark web, start with the resources in our list.
Behaviors To Explicitly Avoid:

In this article, we look at some of the best legitimate Tor websites on the dark web. Protect your business with end-to-end encryption and compliance-ready security. By consistently following these verification practices, you can greatly reduce risks and confidently navigate the dark web, ensuring your security and peace of mind. The dark web is infamous as a dangerous place, where drugs are bought and hitmen hired, but it can be a safe way to browse the internet if your privacy is serious concern.
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While accessing the dark web using Mozilla Firefox is possible, you must first adjust its settings. To prevent detection, the program runs user data via a tiered stream before allowing access to the dark web. I2P, or the Invisible Internet Project, allows you to access the ordinary and dark web. Specifically, the I2P darknet is accessible, while the Tor network is accessible through the Orchid Outproxy Tor plugin. No one is hiding here—they’re just guaranteeing that people in censored countries can read the news without being flagged.
Step 1: Download And Install The Tor Browser
Impreza provides an affordable hidden space for black websites to base their operations. Impreza rents servers, registers domains, and hosts email similar to sites like GoDaddy. In addition, it is worth noting that users should not blindly trust links on the Hidden Wiki because this is a community resource that anybody can update, and some of the links are malicious. As a result, it is probably a good idea to double-check and verify any onion links you find using a secondary source such as Onion Links or DarkWebPug. Learn how to access .onion sites safely with tips on privacy and security for your dark web journey. Onion sites, often referred to as the “dark web,” are web addresses that use the .onion domain suffix.
Privacy Tools And Services
The purpose was to protect U.S. army soldiers and agents in the field, but also politicians who held secret meetings and conversations, which contained the highest security measures. Those who access the dark web do so via the Tor (The Onion Router) browser. It’s the last part of an internet domain name, stated after the last dot. For example, Google.com and PixelPrivacy.com both belong to the “.com” top-level domain. Though secure against everyday threats, Tor is vulnerable to targeted attacks from state-level actors. The Safer option disables all potentially dangerous website features, while the Safest option enables only the features necessary for basic website functions.
This makes it a great option for watching videos from streaming services that are available only in other regions of the world. While the Tor Browser hides your online browsing, it only hides your online activity through the Tor Browser. If you need to protect or enhance your streaming, gaming, or torrenting activities, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a much better option as a secure connection to the net. All of this keeps the sender anonymous thanks to how each intermediary node only knows the location of the previous and next node. All Tor Browser data is encrypted and relayed three times over the Onion Router network, which is composed of thousands of volunteer-run servers, which are known as Tor relays. The Hidden Wiki is a popular onion link directory on the dark web offering categorized lists of sites.

How To Get On The Dark Web: A Step-by-Step Guide

Hacker services against banks and other financial institutions are offered there. Lastly, the dark web is also used by activists and revolutionaries (like Anonymous). The dark web serves as a platform where activists can organize gatherings in secret, without the fear of giving away their plans or position to the government. Especially for these people, the dark web is the perfect platform to communicate and publish information without having to worry about imprisonment or any other form of retribution.
Therefore, if you do decide to explore it, exercise extreme caution. An easy way to find content on the dark web is to receive a link from someone who already knows about it. These sites aren’t just important resources; they’re like lifelines used to serve readers living under oppressive regimes.

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You will find all the necessary .onion links to access any content or service on the dark web. This browser is the most suitable option for accessing the dark web, thanks to its multiple layers of encryption. Each time you connect to a dark web link, your request and traffic are routed through at least three different server points, ensuring your IP remains hidden. Dark.fail is an easy-to-use .onion platform equipped with a status checker that tracks website uptime. The site offers access to PGP-verified URLs and runs free of JavaScript or tracking. This platform’s library of websites currently totals 50, which may not sound impressive until you consider that all the links are active and popular.
Excavator Search Engine

We’re a nonprofit organization and rely on supporters like you to help us keep Tor robust and secure for millions of people worldwide. And if you liked this article, follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube for more cybersecurity news and topics. You should stay away from everything labeled “porn”, “card skimming services”, “PayPal hacks”, “firearms”, “real fake IDs and passports”. Believe me – there are plenty to go around and each and every one of them are being kept under surveillance.
- With HTTPS, only you and the website you’ve requested can see the information being exchanged on your browser.
- Whenever you visit any website, click the circuit button next to the domain to open a menu displaying the servers through which your traffic passes.
- Keybase is an exciting identity service that aims to make it easy for you to link the presence of your online identities together in a cryptographic way.
- While technically not an onion site, we’re including Sci-Hub (sci-hub.se) as an interesting example of a site you can access via Tor.
- Archive Today’s .onion link allows users to access its web page archiving service anonymously, preserving snapshots of websites for future reference.
Many dark web search engines are available, and no single option is objectively the best. Visiting onion sites on older Tor versions can needlessly expose you to added risks. ZeroBin is a minimalist paste-bin tool that allows users to share text securely and privately on the Tor network. Insights like these help researchers and advocates understand how and why Tor is being used. With this info, the wider online community can grasp Tor’s impact and its ability to provide secure and anonymous internet access.
Limitations Of Using Tor
We pay our bills online, check our bank statements, communicate via email, find information, and maintain a presence on social media. The only way to access Tor sites that the Tor Project recommends is to use Tor Browser(new window), a modified version of Firefox that routes all connections through the Tor network by default. The dark web is often confused with the deep web, but they are not the same. The deep web, also known as the invisible web or hidden web, is simply every web page not indexed by standard search engines.
News, Media, And Other Information Organizations
It uses TrustedServer technology on the entire server network to wipe out your data after every session. The dark web also helps individuals communicate about or sell illegal items such as weapons, drugs, malware, etc. Many people see hacked information and stolen card data being sold on the dark web.