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How much of the internet is the dark web?
The dark web is a subset of the deep web that is intentionally hidden, requiring a specific browser—Tor—to access, as explained below. No one really knows the size of the dark web, but most estimates put it at around 5% of the total internet.
The internet has opened up wonderful new possibilities in our world, making life easier on many levels. You can pay your bills, schedule your next family vacation, and order groceries with the click of a button. While the internet offers many positive benefits, it also has some negatives. Although not entirely used for illicit purposes, the dark web is one part of the internet that can be used by criminals for illegal purposes, like selling stolen personal information.
The dark web is a part of the internet that is intentionally hidden and is inaccessible through standard web browsers. It is often associated with illegal activities, but it also has legitimate uses, such as providing a platform for free speech and whistleblowing. If you are interested in accessing the dark web, here’s how you can do it:
The dark web is estimated to make up just a tiny fraction of the internet. However, it’s difficult to accurately tell its actual size due to its hidden, decentralized, and constantly evolving nature. Its hidden nature makes it a bit challenging to access the dark web, but there are a few trusted ways.
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Use a Dark Web Browser
The first step to accessing the dark web is to use a specialized browser that can handle the Tor network. The most popular dark web browser is the Tor Browser, which guns on dark web is a modified version of the Firefox browser. It routes your internet connection through several layers of encryption, allowing you to browse the web anonymously.
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To download the Tor Browser, go to the official Tor Project website and click on the “Download” button. Once the download is complete, install the browser on your computer and launch it. It’s important to note that you should only download the Tor Browser from the official Tor Project website to avoid any security risks.
Configure Your Tor Browser
How To Safely Browse The Dark Web?
Once you have installed the Tor Browser, you need to configure it to access the dark web. To do this, click on the onion icon in the top left corner of the browser window and select “Configure.” In the “Network” section, make sure that the “Socks5 proxy” option is selected and that the port number is set to 9150. This will ensure that your internet connection is routed through the Tor network.
Access Onion Sites
Now that your Tor Browser is configured, you can start accessing onion sites, which are websites that are only accessible through the Tor network. To do this, simply type the onion address of the site you want to visit in the address bar of the Tor Browser and press enter. Onion addresses typically start with “http://” followed by a string of random characters.
It’s important to note that onion sites are not indexed by search engines, so you won’t be able to find them through a Google search. Instead, you will need to know the onion address of the site you want to visit. There are a number of directories and forums on the dark web where you can find onion addresses, but you should exercise caution when visiting these sites as they can be risky.
Stay Safe on the Dark Web
- Torrenters can also make use of port forwarding, which allows connections to more peers in a torrent swarm.
- Passwords, physical addresses, bank account numbers, and social security numbers circulate in the dark web all the time.
- NordVPN is offering a fully-featured risk-free 30-day trial if you sign up at this page.
- The dark web is a network of secret websites that you can’t find without a special anonymous browser.
- As hoped, the Tor anonymous network grew in popularity among computer enthusiasts, privacy advocates, journalists, dissidents under repressive governments, and others desirous of strict secrecy.
Anonymity protocols are standard practice for Dark Web users; traffic is often more heavily encrypted, and sometimes routed through proxy servers. Taken together, these techniques make it very difficult (but not impossible) to trace a Dark Web user’s location and activity. This heightened attention to security and anonymity is what characterizes the Dark Web. If you want to be extra safe, routing your connection through a VPN and then accessing the dark web using the Tor browser provides more security than Tor alone.
Why not to use Tor Browser?
Tor's encryption tries to keep your identity and destination secret, but bad actors can still find a way to identify you. Plus, Tor's lack of regulation allows for illicit activity and the proliferation of cybercriminals.
Accessing the dark web can be risky, so it’s important to take steps to protect yourself. Here are some tips to help you stay safe:
- Use a VPN: A virtual private network (VPN) can provide an additional layer of security by encrypting your internet connection and masking your IP address.
- Don’t share personal information: Avoid sharing any personal information, such as your name, address, dark web market list or phone number, on the dark web. This information can be used to steal your identity or commit other crimes.
- Use strong passwords: Use strong, unique passwords for all of your accounts on the dark web. This will help to prevent hackers from gaining access to your accounts.
- Beware of phishing scams: Phishing scams are common on the dark web, so be cautious when clicking on links or downloading files. Only visit sites that you trust and avoid providing any personal information unless you are sure that the site is legitimate.
Nor would your IP address or the IP address of the person(s) you are communicating with be exposed to the Tor network. Tor protects your privacy by passing your messages through three nodes in the worldwide Tor network. Thanks to the onion routing used in this network, no node can know both the origin and destination of a message. It is designed for anonymous web browsing, and has various features (and limitations) that help achieve this. The Surface Web (also referred toy as the Visible Web, the Indexed Web, the Lightnet, and the Clearnet) is the part of the World Wide Web that most of us are familiar with. If you can find a page with a standard search engine (Google or DuckDuckGo) and visit it with a standard web browser (Chrome or Firefox), it is part of the Surface web.
So, refrain from sharing too much information online, avoid clicking on suspicious links, and avoid answering questions on memes that often mimic security where to buy drugs online questions. As this is a free feature offered by credit bureaus, take advantage of it. However, you have to contact the credit bureau directly to get it.
By following these steps, you can access the dark web safely and securely. However, it’s important to remember that the dark web can be a dangerous place, so exercise caution and use common sense when browsing.
What happens if you accidentally searched something illegal?
On that note, your internet searches alone typically will not get you in trouble with the police. It is perfectly legal to search anything online in most cases, but if those searches are linked to a crime or potential crime, you could get arrested. From there, you could get taken into custody and interrogated at best.