These onion addresses will remain online even if the original page disappears. It also keeps the graphical copy and text of the page for better accuracy. Using the ProtonMail .onion site offers security and privacy advantages.
Hidden Answers — Anonymous Questions And Answers

The dark web, for the uninitiated among you, is a virtual neighborhood beyond the borders of the normal, everyday internet (which includes the website you’re looking at right now). It’s somewhere Google and Bing don’t index, and you need special tools to get to it. Experienced blogger with a strong focus on technology, currently advancing towards a career in IT Security Analysis.
Despite Tor’s privacy-focused design, malicious entities are more likely to target your data in transit and on .onion sites. Using Tor to access dark web links isn’t illegal, but your ISP will notice, and others may too. It’s, ironically, more conspicuous than using popular browsers and sites. To make its journalism more accessible to readers around the world, the New York Times launched its onion service in 2017.
Of The Best Dark Websites Google Won’t Let You Find
- For safer browsing, it is highly recommended to also use a VPN and antivirus software.
- It goes without saying that I do not advise you to seek this sort of service.
- This is a great way to improve your privacy because Tor isolates each website you visit, meaning third-party trackers and ISPs can’t reveal your identity.
- A VPN can help disguise your use of Tor and your visits to dark web resources.
- It is a good way to prevent third parties from tracking online activities.
- You will find all the necessary .onion links to access any content or service on the dark web.
The New York Times operates one of the biggest news sites on the Tor network, letting users access its regular news coverage with increased privacy and security. The onion site is especially beneficial for people in regions with heavy censorship or restricted access to media. Dark web websites are pages that exist on a part of the internet that isn’t indexed by traditional search engines like Google. Also known as deep web sites, these pages typically have URLs ending in .onion and are only accessible through special software like the Tor Browser. SecureDrop is a popular site where whistleblowers can anonymously share confidential information with journalists. Since it’s hosted on the Tor network, dark web users don’t have to worry about being tracked or their personal information being revealed while exchanging information with media outlets.
Chainalysis says that $790 million worth of cryptocurrencies were used to shop in darknet markets during 2019. While some studies have claimed that illegal Bitcoin activity is as high as 44%. Also, there’s a vast amount of unsavory content on the dark web, as well as a significantly high number of hackers and scammers looming on the platform.

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Many prominent media sources and journalists maintain a presence on this website location to securely accept documents from anonymous senders. These include big names, such as Al Jazeera, CBC, Forbes, Huffington Post, The New York Times, and many more. Clearly, if you want to form your exclusive private club of family members, friends, fellow journalists, or other close-knit groups, Keybase is a wonderful online platform. It also works with Windows, Android, iOS, macOS, and Linux, ensuring your co-participants can use any device. Ruheni Mathenge specializes in writing long-form content dedicated to helping individuals and businesses navigate and understand the constantly evolving online security and web freedom worlds.
Click on “Safest.” As you’ll see, JavaScript and a few other features will be automatically disabled on all sites. However, if you must buy items from the dark web, set up a secure, encrypted email with CounterMail or ProtonMail. For more information, read more about the most secure email service providers in my other post.
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Users leverage these platforms to organize protests, whistleblow, share survival guides, or share files P2P. Some markets are relatively short-lived (thanks to law enforcement), but others are notorious enough that they survive, for instance, Silk Road, AlphaBay, and Hansa. Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin have been the dark web currency even before they became available to the general public. Right now, you can use many cryptocurrency .onion sites to buy or sell all types of cryptocurrencies. It allows you to search for images, maps, files, videos, social media posts, and more. The website is available on the surface web and has a .onion site.
Mature Content

With rising online privacy concerns in the current digital age, the Tor network’s anonymity is becoming essential. It is a good way to prevent third parties from tracking online activities. People in countries with heavy internet censorship must get a VPN or Tor browser to access the surface web.
Your online activity and communications remain private and secret on the dark web. Because of this, some people use it to get around government restrictions, while others use it for illegal activities like smuggling drugs and weapons. For instance, services like ProtonMail and SecureDrop (mentioned above already) have hidden sites for their users who live in countries with high levels of censorship.
- Just like Google, the dark web has some search engines present on it.
- Qubes is a leading Linux-based operating system, well known for privacy.
- This will help you to remain anonymous and secure at all Tor entry and exit nodes.
- This makes it even harder for third parties to see your email traffic.
- The forum focuses mainly on credit card fraud, but it also covers other topics such as hacking, cracking, and several other aspects of cyber scams and IT.
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Pixel Privacy believes in digital privacy and does not believe in using it for heinous and/or illegal activities, and so the focus of this article will be on legal activities. Google considers the majority of the content on the entire web highly irrelevant and useless to its users. That’s why such a large percentage (as much as 94%) of the entire web is not returned in Google Search. Download the Linux version from torproject.org, extract the file, and run the start-tor-browser script. The “VPN-over-Tor” approach offers added protection, even if Tor is compromised.
In addition, know that while accessing the dark web is legal in most countries, engaging in illegal activities (buying or selling contraband, hacking services, etc.), is illegal everywhere. You should be aware that law enforcement agencies may be monitoring the dark web and that visiting certain websites or engaging in illegal activities can result in criminal charges. You can also check out this ultimate dark web safety guide to browse safely. Torch is one of the more established dark web search engines, designed to help users navigate the Tor network and discover onion sites. Unlike traditional search engines like Google or DuckDuckGo, Torch indexes hidden websites that operate beyond the reach of the surface web. But users should always be cautious and avoid clicking unfamiliar or untrusted links to steer clear of scams or malware.

DuckDuckGo — A Dark Web Search Engine

However, today’s most popular search engines — including Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo — only index a portion of the internet. No longer restricted to dial-up, many of us now consider access to a stable high-speed internet connection a critical element of our daily lives. We pay our bills online, check our bank statements, communicate via email, find information, and maintain a presence on social media. Not all onion sites are dangerous, but many host illegal, harmful, or deceptive content. Stick to trusted sources and use caution when navigating the dark web.
Some—like whistleblowing—may face government censorship in your country. The deep web contains sites and pages that are often prevented from being indexed by search engines and contain unlinked content. Check onion links through trusted directories, user reviews, and reputation checks. Use directories like The Hidden Wiki or Dark.fail, which list verified and regularly updated onion links.

How To Safely Access Dark Web Forums For Research
Riseup is a dark web platform that offers secure messaging solutions. It does not store logs and is protected from interference and malicious attacks. The platform is free and is run by volunteers in the US who prefer privacy and security. To send a message or image via ZeroBin, you just need to copy the desired content and paste it into ZeroBin’s editor.