ProPublica is an investigative news site owned by an independent nonprofit that exposes abuses of power and corruption. It hosts an onion site so people in countries with restricted press freedom can access its journalism, which covers everything from hacktivism to government repression. Fortunately, you can’t just stumble onto dark web websites by accident.
Tor and the Onion Browser
Lack of regulation by authorities or other users makes it easy for cybercriminals to carry out scams. It’s possible to buy and sell illegal drugs, malware, and prohibited content in darknet marketplaces. Some dark web commerce sites have dangerous chemicals and weapons for sale. Tor is a web browser that lets you stay anonymous online or access the dark web. Tor shares similarities with VPNs and proxy servers — all of these tools allow anonymous browsing. Tor can be used together with a VPN to provide overlapping layers of privacy and anonymity.
What are dark web websites?
SecMail is one of the most popular email services on the dark web. While this is not much compared to standard email services, it is enough for PGP-encrypted messages. ProtonMail is a Swiss-based email service that is very easy to use.
VPN Usage For Safety
Law enforcement agencies keep an ear to the ground on the dark web looking for stolen data from recent security breaches that might lead to a trail to the perpetrators. Many mainstream media organizations monitor whistleblower sites looking for news. Medical records, fee-based content, membership websites, and confidential corporate web pages are just a few examples of what makes up the deep web. Estimates place the size of the deep web at between 96% and 99% of the internet.
The New York Times
Install Avast SecureLine VPN to encrypt your internet connection and protect your privacy wherever you go online. Authorities also visit dark web websites to catch cybercriminals. As a result, your dark web use may draw unwanted scrutiny from your ISP or law enforcement. Using a VPN can help strengthen your privacy while visiting the dark web. While many dark web websites, like the former black market website Silk Road, are used to facilitate criminal activity, there are also plenty of legitimate dark web websites.
Onion links: How to access them
Privacy-focused internet users who access onion sites may see greater anonymity while browsing or sharing sensitive information. These pages can also help circumvent some forms of government censorship. Anonymity of the dark web is one of the main draws for using onion sites, and most dark web links use a “.onion” domain. This is usually due to the sensitive nature of the businesses or services they offer.
News, media, and other information organizations
The darknet is simply an anonymous space on the web that can be abused or appreciated in turn. The dark web refers to content on the internet that is intentionally hidden and requires special software like Tor Browser to access. The dark web is a subset of the deep web, which is all content on the internet that isn’t indexed by search engines. The websites you visit every day aren’t all there is to see on the internet — not even close.
- LifeLock Standard helps safeguard your personal information, accounts, and identity.
- The Tor Metrics is a good place to get more information about the Tor project.
- As with the Imperial Library, you should be aware of copyright infringement.
- Note that Hidden Wiki links sometimes lead to unsafe content, so be wary about what you click.
- Their onion service provides the same privacy-respecting search without logging queries or tracking users.
- Ahmia stands out through robust content filtering systems that exclude illegal materials and harmful sites from search results.
notable dark web Search Engines
Since regular search engines don’t index .onion sites, finding what you need on the dark web can be tricky. That’s where dark web search engines come in — they help you discover hidden websites and make navigating this part of the internet easier. In this guide, you’ll find the top 9 dark web search engines, complete with .onion links. Each one offers unique features, such as better privacy and extensive .onion site indexing.
Software
This dark web monitoring will help you track illicit activities and minimize the risks of cyber-attacks. When harmful links turn up, this darknet search platform removes them and points you toward safer resources instead. So compared to regular search engines — and even most other dark web search tools — it’s a much safer choice. Deep Search is an open-source dark web search engine designed to index and explore onion space, the hidden services within the Tor network. Known for its accuracy, Deep Search stands out by delivering precise and useful results, avoiding the spammy links commonly found on similar platforms. Torch is one of the oldest dark web search engines, having served the darknet community for years.
What are onion sites and dark web websites?
For example, China uses the Great Firewall to block access to Western sites. Accessing blocked content can result in being placed on a watch list or imprisonment. Unfortunately, others are fake and fraudulent websites that exploit the reputation of the dark web to con people. Moreover, malicious actors can attempt phishing scams to steal your data and identity for extortion.
- Launched as a successor to similar platforms as they keep going down, it has quickly become a major darknet forum.
- Only use .onion links that come from legitimate sources like The Hidden Wiki.
- Although Dread hosts valid discussions about technology and security, it also gives access to numerous types of illicit content, including illegal drug sale marketplaces.
- Even when using security measures and your common sense, accessing deep web content still poses a risk.
- Fortunately, in Hidden Wiki, every website is followed by a brief description so that the user knows what to expect.
- From encrypted communication channels and hacking forums to illicit marketplaces, the dark web is a destination for millions of daily users.
- Some of the deep web sites do not use standard top-level domains (TLD) such as .gov, .com, .net, etc.
This is high-level protection; no one can intercept your data or activities. This includes military-grade 256-bit encryption reinforced with a 2048-bit DH key and SHA2-384 authentication to ensure your traffic arrives at its destination safely. This adds extra protection since opening Tor itself encrypts your traffic. A virtual private network (VPN) is a good way to mask Tor activities. It adds an extra encryption layer and passes your traffic through a secondary server of your choice, preventing anyone from seeing that you are accessing the web via Tor. All in all, it is not illegal to access the dark web, but it can create issues for you.
AI overload to accelerate zero-trust data governance adoption
The best way to find out is to check the “Have I Been Pwned” (HIBP) website. This website allows you to type in your email address or phone number and see if it’s been compromised in any data breaches. If your information has been compromised, then it’s likely that your phone number is also on the dark web. Alternatively, users can connect in opennet mode, which automatically assigns peers on the network.
New York Times
In this article, we share our list of the 28 best dark web sites today, which include verified, trusted, and safe options to use when exploring the Dark Web. If the VPN connection fails, the automatic kill switch will kick in, temporarily breaking your traffic. ExpressVPN is an excellent choice for Tor and accessing the Dark Web. It has a proprietary onion site in the Tor network to give you safe access even if your country restricts VPN usage. The most interesting thing about NordVPN is its built-in Onion over VPN feature. It encrypts your traffic at the entry node and changes your IP address.
Identity Leakage
In this instance, too, it is important to use a logless VPN and pay with Bitcoin if you can to stay anonymous. The VPN over Tor technique is also susceptible to an end-to-end timing attack, though it’s highly unlikely. For built-in Tor over VPN functionality, NordVPN operates specialized servers that automatically route you through the Tor network.
Use Secure Drop if you need to privately share data with a publication. You can download, install, and use Tor like any regular browser. Here’s a screenshot so you can see the domain address and know you’re on the right page. You might already know the dark web hosts some truly unspeakable things. Dark web hacking forums are bad, but it gets so much worse than what you’ve heard.
Social networks:
- Here’s a look at how the dark web works and the many ways in which people use it, both legally and illegally.
- These browsers incorporate multiple layers of encryption and routing protocols to protect user identity and data.
- Since the dark web isn’t indexed by standard search engines, sites like Ahmia act as modified directories to help users discover onion sites.
- When marketplaces collapse, this data can be seized, leaked, or resold.
- Enterprise security teams use automated dark web monitoring platforms instead of manual searching.
- And because they aren’t searchable via Google or Bing, onion site lists are important roadmaps to help users find what they’re looking for on the dark web.
- Vendors on the site undergo strict screening, which reduces exposure to undercover investigators.
- One useful aspect of its community is that people here give warnings or alerts about upcoming scams or busts.
Some nodes and unsafe .onion links have vulnerabilities that can leave you exposed, which means others could track you. You can also be tracked at the entry and exit Tor nodes as your IP address is visible to others. Your connection is encrypted Tor which adds a layer of privacy to your traffic, but this doesn’t mean every link is safe. Cybercriminals use the dark web to lure you in with suspicious links and malicious content.
You’ll get unbiased, organic search results without getting any of your browsing behavior logged. Using DuckDuckGo over Tor will also let you see onion sites and normal pages in your search results. The Tor Browser can take you to all kinds of questionable, dangerous, and potentially illegal content. That’s why knowing which dark web websites are safe to visit is vital. Deutsche Welle (DW) is a German state funded news organization that reports on worldwide topics and events. In order to avoid censorship of their content, they’ve created a .onion site to ensure it’s accessible for all.
There’s a reason why this onion website is called the Imperial Library; with over downloadable 500,000 books and articles, this may be one of the largest digital libraries, period. A robust antivirus can help block malware and other online threats, even on the dark web. With Tor Browser, you are free to access sites your home network may have blocked.
Daniel regularly crawls the dark web searching for new websites or checking the status(es) of other websites. Definitely yes, especially if this is your first time on the dark web. Hidden Wiki, although comprehensive, contains some very disturbing and very illegal info.
Lastly, The Hidden Wiki is a collection of dark web links — but the links may not work and can lead to dangerous websites. The BBC’s .onion link provides secure access to its global news platform, enabling users to read BBC content anonymously, even in countries where the BBC is banned. The site is a simplified version of the BBC website, offering key sections such as news, culture, and global events. The BBC remains one of the most visited news platforms worldwide, with over 438 million users each week accessing its content across various channels.
This way, if you’re interested in a specific topic, you can find it quickly. Hiddenwiki.pw is not liable for any loss or damage incurred as a result of using the above links. Ahmia promotes transparency by being open-source and allowing contributions. Its operations focus on respecting user privacy and maintaining anonymity through the use of the Tor network. Dark web forums are online communities where individuals participate in discussions on a wide range of subjects, from technology and privacy to more illicit matters.
Besides, victims of crime may want to hide their identities from their perpetrators. Nonetheless, if whatever you do is deemed illegal in your country, you can get into trouble. The use of the dark web raises suspicion as it shows there is something you want to do privately.
You can find sites like Facebook, Wikipedia, e-commerce sites, YouTube, and more here. The dark web is part of the internet that is not indexed by standard search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. It means you cannot access websites on the dark web with regular browsers like Firefox or Chrome. Instead, you need a specific configuration, software, or authorization, such as Tor, to access it. Many reputable websites and news outlets like ProPublica and SecureDrop often share official domain addresses of onion sites on their pages.
In addition to the Tor browser, you should use an antivirus program (like Norton 360) to protect your device from malware infections, and a VPN (like ExpressVPN) to secure your IP address and traffic. Also, only use .onion links from legitimate sources like The Hidden Wiki. The dark web offers access to unique information and resources you won’t find on the surface web, but staying safe should always come first when choosing a search engine. Different dark web search engines cater to various needs, offering varying levels of privacy, security, and ease of use. It’s specifically designed for privacy, routing your connection through the Tor network to hide your IP address and encrypt your traffic. Built-in features like script blocking and anti-tracking ensure a safer browsing experience.
The threats of 2025 demand more than just awareness; they require readiness. If you’re looking to validate your security posture, identify hidden risks, or build a resilient defense strategy, DeepStrike is here to help. Our team of practitioners provides clear, actionable guidance to protect your business. Using a directory is a good first step if you’re looking to explore the dark web cautiously. Instead of typing queries and possibly stumbling on nasty stuff, you can go category by category.
Although websites can’t identify you and ISPs can’t decrypt your internet traffic, they can see that Tor is being used. Tor is a network of volunteer relays through which the user’s internet connection is routed. The connection is encrypted, and all the traffic bounces between relays worldwide, making the user anonymous. Data breaches happen all the time, and your login credentials and other data might be on the dark web already. Avast BreachGuard scans the dark web and will alert you immediately if and when it detects your personal data.
Nowadays, many people use the Tor browser to surf the public internet and navigate the deeper parts anonymously. Another essential security feature is that all incoming and outgoing data from the app darkweb marketplaces is encrypted, including any private and public keys involved. These sites are a hybrid tutorial-underground where wannabe hackers ask questions and professionals sell their services or stolen data.
Darknet prints out the objects it detected, its confidence, and how long it took to find them. We didn’t compile Darknet with OpenCV so it can’t display the detections directly. Since we are using Darknet on the CPU it takes around 6-12 seconds per image. Our model has several advantages over classifier-based systems.